Anthropic Launches High-Powered Subscription for Claude, Taking Direct Aim at OpenAI
- Sara Montes de Oca
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
Anthropic is turning up the heat in the AI race. On Wednesday, the Amazon-backed startup unveiled Claude’s Max plan, a premium subscription tier designed for serious users of its popular chatbot, Claude.
The Max plan offers two pricing options:
$100/month for five times the usage of the current Pro plan
$200/month for twenty times the usage
Both options promise priority access to Anthropic’s newest models and features, including the upcoming voice mode rollout, according to product lead Scott White.
This move positions Anthropic’s offering as a direct challenger to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro, which also carries a $200/month price tag.
Founded by former OpenAI executives, Anthropic debuted Claude in March 2023. Since then, the chatbot has gained significant traction, joining the ranks of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini as go-to tools for businesses integrating AI into workflows across marketing, sales, and support.
Claude’s Max plan sits above Anthropic’s $20/month tier and free version, but below its full-scale business and enterprise solutions. White says the company has fielded requests for a high-usage plan for over a year, largely from professionals in industries like coding, finance, media, and marketing.
“This tier is for those who consider Claude indispensable,” White said. “They’ve been bumping up against usage limits, and Max finally unlocks their ability to scale.”
Subscribers to Max will be the first to try Anthropic’s latest innovations, making it an appealing option for power users looking to stay ahead of the curve.
The announcement comes on the heels of major momentum for Anthropic: last month, it closed a funding round valuing the company at $61.5 billion. Its annualized revenue has reportedly hit $1 billion, a tenfold increase over the past year. High-profile clients include Zoom, Snowflake, Pfizer, and Novo Nordisk.
With this new tier, Anthropic signals that it’s not just keeping pace with the AI giants—it’s aiming to lead.