Claude’s announcement combines a tier rename with a change to Ultra’s session limits. Max 5x becomes Max, Max 20x becomes Ultra, and verified Ultra accounts are beginning to lose the five-hour usage limit. For developers relying on Claude Code for long sessions, the key distinction is simple: removing a five-hour window does not remove weekly limits or make usage unlimited.
What changed in the plan names and prices
Claude’s official X post says existing subscribers do not need to take action: Max 5x is renamed Max, and Max 20x is renamed Ultra. The prices cited in the post remain $100 and $200 per month, respectively. Actual checkout totals can vary by region, tax, or subscription channel, so subscribers should check their own billing page.
The new names no longer display the old “5x” and “20x” labels. That should not be read as a promise that Ultra keeps a 20x allowance in every time window. Claude’s current Help Center describes Ultra as providing 10 times Pro’s usage each week, with a weekly limit across models and a separate weekly limit for Fable.
Verified Ultra accounts: the five-hour session cap is being removed
Claude says the rollout begins with most existing subscribers. Newer accounts keep a temporary limit until verified, which Claude says helps prevent fraud and abuse. The company will email subscribers when the limit is removed. Its Help Center says verification happens automatically based on factors such as account and payment history. A verified account will not show the “Current session” bar in Settings → Usage. Verifying a phone number at checkout is separate and does not remove this limit. Read the official Ultra guidance.
What this means for Claude Code sessions
For a verified Ultra subscriber, removing the five-hour window can make long coding sessions easier to schedule—for example, a multi-stage code review, a refactor across several modules, or an extended debugging session. The practical amount of work still depends on weekly usage, the model and effort level, context size, and how many tool calls a task requires.
Claude on the web, Claude Code, and Claude Desktop draw on shared subscription limits. Messages used in the web app therefore affect the allowance available for coding. Teams should evaluate completed work over a week rather than assume that a longer uninterrupted session creates more total capacity.
Max subscribers should not assume their session cap is gone
The announcement specifically describes removing the five-hour limit for verified Ultra accounts. It does not announce the same change for Max. Max is the new name for the former Max 5x tier, at the price stated in the post, and Max and Ultra both remain subject to weekly limits.
What subscribers can check
- Confirm the plan name and renewal amount in account or billing settings.
- For Ultra, check Settings → Usage for the “Current session” bar and watch for Claude’s verification email.
- Plan web, desktop, and Claude Code usage as one shared allowance.
- If your workflow depends on long-running tasks, observe your account’s verification status and weekly consumption before changing your schedule.
The change reduces the chance that a verified Ultra user’s long task is interrupted by a five-hour session window. It does not remove the usage budget: weekly limits, task complexity, and verification status still shape how much work can be completed.
Original announcement
“We’re renaming our Max plans: Max 5x → Max; Max 20x → Ultra. Max is still $100/month, and Ultra is still $200.”
This short excerpt is from Claude’s original English post on X. Follow the link to read the complete announcement.