The Claude Ultra plan is the new name for Max 20x, and verified Ultra accounts no longer have a five-hour usage limit. Anthropic announced both changes on October 30, 2026, in a post from its Claude account on X. The price stays at $200 a month, and the weekly limit does not change.
The rename reaches the cheaper tier too. Max 5x is now just Max, still $100 a month. This post covers what changed and what did not, how account verification works, what a weekly-only limit means for long background work, and how to choose between Pro, Max and Ultra. Facts are as of October 31, 2026, and come from Anthropic’s pricing page and help center unless we say otherwise.
The short version: if you paid for Max 20x, you are on Ultra now and have nothing to do. Your price is the same. Once Anthropic verifies your account, the five-hour session limit goes away and only the weekly limit is left. Verification is automatic. On the Claude Ultra plan, long Cowork tasks, scheduled tasks and Claude Code sessions can now run past the old five-hour mark. They all draw on one weekly budget, though, so one heavy day can use up much of the week. Pro, Max and Team plans keep the five-hour limit.
What Anthropic changed on October 30
Anthropic’s X post gives the rename in two lines: "Max 5x → Max" and "Max 20x → Ultra." It adds, "Max is still $100/month, and Ultra is still $200." Subscribers do not need to do anything.
The Ultra help article confirms that Max 20x subscribers move to Ultra automatically, with no price change. Ultra is sold as a monthly subscription only. The article says the $200 price is for web subscriptions, and mobile pricing may vary by app store.
The second change matters more. The X post says Anthropic is "removing the 5-hour limit for verified Ultra accounts, starting today with most existing subscribers." Newer accounts keep a temporary limit until they are verified. You get an email when it is removed. "Weekly limits remain unchanged," the post says.
Anthropic’s email to Max 20x subscribers adds details we did not find on a public Anthropic page. It says billing dates and features stay the same. It says the removal happens "in stages." It also gives the reason: "More of Claude’s work now runs for hours in the background, and a 5-hour limit shouldn’t stop it partway."
As of October 31, Anthropic’s release notes had no entry for the change. The pricing page and help articles were already updated.
The Claude Ultra plan next to Pro and Max
Here is how the three individual paid plans compare, according to Anthropic’s pricing page.
| Plan | Price | Five-hour limit | Weekly usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly | Yes | The baseline |
| Max (was Max 5x) | $100 a month | Yes, 5x Pro | 5x Pro |
| Ultra (was Max 20x) | $200 a month | None for verified accounts | 10x Pro |
A few other differences sit outside the usage limits. Anthropic’s article on monthly API credits lists $100 a month for Max and $200 a month for Ultra. Both plans also have a separate weekly limit for Fable models, according to the Max and Ultra help articles. Claude Code is included in both.
The old name had stopped matching the plan. Anthropic’s April 2025 Max plan post launched the $200 tier as 20x more usage than Pro. Then Anthropic added weekly limits. Its July 28, 2025 thread on X said the new weekly limits would start August 28, 2025. Anthropic’s email says the Max 20x weekly limit was 10x Pro, and Ultra keeps that same weekly limit. So the "20x" described the five-hour window only, and the new name drops it.
What a verified account is
The Ultra help article explains verification in a few lines. Anthropic verifies accounts automatically, based on account and payment history. You do not need to do anything. Until then, an unverified account has a temporary five-hour limit, which is removed on its own once the account is verified. The X post and the email both say verification helps Anthropic prevent fraud and abuse.
To check your status, open Settings, then Usage. The Ultra article says that if you see no "Current session" bar, your account is verified.
Phone verification is a different step. The Ultra help article says verifying a phone number at checkout does not remove the five-hour limit on the Claude Ultra plan. Account verification is separate and runs on its own.
Anthropic does not publish how long verification takes or what history qualifies. If you just subscribed, expect the five-hour limit at first.
What a weekly-only limit means for long background work
This change is aimed at work that runs without you watching it. Our readers use several kinds:
- Cowork tasks in the cloud. We covered how new Claude tasks run in the cloud and keep going after you close the app.
- Scheduled tasks. Our guide to Claude scheduled tasks in the cloud walks through recurring jobs, such as a weekly report.
- Computer use while you are away. We looked at letting Claude work on your computer while you’re away on October 30.
- Long Claude Code sessions. Refactors, test runs and migrations that take most of a day.
On Pro and Max, any of these can hit the five-hour limit partway through. The work then stops until the window resets, even if you have plenty of weekly room left. On a verified Claude Ultra plan, the job runs until it finishes or until you reach your weekly limit.
Claude Code follows the same rules. Anthropic’s Claude Code plans article says Claude and Claude Code share one set of limits, and verified Ultra accounts have no five-hour session limit. On Pro and Max, the same article describes a small "wrapping up" allowance that lets Claude Code finish its current step when it hits the five-hour limit. Pro gets it once per weekly period. Max gets it each time. Verified Ultra accounts do not need it.
No five-hour limit does not mean unlimited. The Ultra article says Anthropic may apply extra caps for capacity and fairness, and it does not promise uninterrupted service.
Planning heavy days on the Claude Ultra plan
The five-hour window spread your usage across the week whether you planned it or not. Without it, a single long day of agent work can use most of the weekly budget. Here is how to plan around that.
Know your reset time. Anthropic’s Max plan article and Pro plan article say weekly limits reset at a fixed time assigned to your account. You can see it under Settings, then Usage.
Check the weekly bar before overnight jobs. A scheduled task or a computer use session that runs all night draws on the same budget as your daytime chats.
Put the heaviest jobs where lighter days follow. A migration on Monday is fine if the rest of the week is light. It is a problem if a board report is due Thursday.
Pick the model for the job. Fable models have their own weekly limit on Max and Ultra. Larger models use more of your budget per task.
Know your fallback. The Ultra article says a limit reset can restore your weekly usage to full. Anthropic’s limit reset article explains how resets work.
Who should consider which plan
Pro, at $20 a month, fits occasional use. If you rarely hit a limit, nothing here changes for you.
Max, at $100 a month, fits daily use. It gives 5x Pro usage in each five-hour window and each week. If you hit the five-hour limit often but rarely the weekly one, Max may still be enough.
The Claude Ultra plan, at $200 a month, fits people who run long agent work or hit the weekly limit on Max. Ultra costs twice as much as Max and gives twice the weekly usage, so the weekly usage per dollar is the same. The extra $100 also brings $100 more in monthly API credits. What Ultra adds on top is the missing five-hour limit.
Organizations should look elsewhere first. The Ultra article says the plan is for individual consumers and points organizations to Team and Enterprise. Anthropic’s Team plan article still describes per-session allowances: 1.25x Pro for Standard seats and 6.25x Pro for Premium seats, plus a weekly limit per member. We found nothing from Anthropic saying Team or Enterprise seats lose the five-hour limit. The Max article notes that eligible nonprofits can get discounted Team and Enterprise pricing through Claude for Nonprofits.
One practical note on names. "Max" in an older invoice, budget line or internal doc could mean either tier. Our own Fable 5 usage limits post from July uses "Max" for both. Update procurement notes so the $100 and $200 plans are not confused.
How OpenAI and Google are changing their top tiers
Other platforms are adjusting their top plans too. OpenAI’s ChatGPT release notes for October 29 say "Pro 100 and Pro 500 plans now include twice their previous Work and Codex allowance." The same entry says OpenAI "canceled the Pro 200 reduction announced in our September 29 email." Our explainer on the new ChatGPT with Chat, Work and Codex covers what those allowances pay for. Google still uses a rolling window. Its Gemini Apps limits page says limits refresh every 5 hours until you reach a weekly limit, and lists AI Ultra at 5x or 20x AI Pro limits depending on the subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Claude Ultra plan?
The Claude Ultra plan is the new name for Max 20x, as of October 30, 2026. It costs $200 a month. Anthropic’s pricing page lists it at 10x Pro usage per week, with no five-hour limit for verified accounts.
Did the price of Max 20x change with the rename?
No. Anthropic’s X post says Ultra is still $200 a month, and the Ultra help article says existing subscribers move over with no price change. Anthropic’s email says billing dates stay the same too.
Is Max 5x gone?
No. It is now called Max, and it still costs $100 a month. It keeps both the five-hour limit and the weekly limit, at 5x Pro usage.
Do Pro and Max still have a five-hour limit?
Yes. Anthropic’s pricing page and help articles list a five-hour limit and a weekly limit for both. Only verified Ultra accounts lose the five-hour limit.
How do I know if my Ultra account is verified?
Open Settings, then Usage. The Ultra help article says that if there is no “Current session” bar, your account is verified. Anthropic also sends an email when the limit is removed.
Can I speed up verification?
Anthropic does not describe a way to. Verification is automatic and based on account and payment history. Verifying a phone number at checkout does not remove the five-hour limit.
Does Claude Code follow the same rules on the Claude Ultra plan?
Yes. Claude and Claude Code share one set of limits. Anthropic’s Claude Code plans article says verified Ultra accounts have no five-hour session limit there either.
Do Team or Enterprise seats lose the five-hour limit?
We found nothing from Anthropic saying so as of October 31, 2026. The Team plan article still describes per-session allowances for Standard and Premium seats. The Claude Ultra plan is for individuals.
Is the weekly limit on the Claude Ultra plan higher than on Max 20x?
No. Anthropic’s X post says weekly limits are unchanged. Its email says Ultra keeps the same weekly limit as Max 20x, which the pricing page now lists as 10x Pro usage.
