Anthropic quietly tests locking Claude Code behind its $100 Max plan

Anthropic is running a small test that could make its AI coding assistant, Claude Code, exclusive to its top-tier Max plan. The change would effectively lock the feature away from the $17-per-month Pro tier.

Claude Code isn't available on the free plan, but it's currently listed as a feature for both the $17 Pro and the $100-per-month Max subscription on the official pricing page.

Plans & Pricing | Claude by Anthropic

But users noticed something different. X user @TheGeorgePu spotted a pricing table that showed Claude Code unavailable on the Pro plan. Bluesky user Ed Zitron and others confirmed the same thing.

In response to the chatter, Anthropic's head of growth, Amol Avasare, clarified on X. "To be clear, we're running a small-scale test with about 2% of new sign-ups," he wrote. "Existing Pro and Max subscribers are not impacted."

He added, "If we ever make a change that impacts subscribers, we'll provide ample notice. You'll hear it from us, not from screenshots on X or Reddit."

Zitron wasn't satisfied, pointing out that the website's feature table had already been updated without any official explanation.

Another user, @marco_rulio, noted the lack of warning for what appeared to be a silent price hike that happened within just two days.

Users also brought up a recent, last-minute notification about new fees for using third-party tools like OpenClaw with Claude Code.