Claude renames 20x to Ultra, and incidentally admits an awkward fact

Anthropic has renamed Claude's Max plans. The official wording is brief: Max 5x becomes Max, and Max 20x becomes Ultra. Prices are unchanged: Max is still $100 per month, and Ultra is still $200 per month. Existing subscribers do not need to do anything.

More important are the limits. Ultra removes the 5-hour limit, starting with verified accounts. New accounts will keep temporary limits until verification is complete; the official line is that this is to prevent fraud and abuse. The weekly cap has not changed.

This renaming exposes an old issue: @Hesamation's breakdown points out that the 20x in Max 20x originally described the 5-hour window, not the weekly quota. The weekly quota has always been 10x Pro. The larger number in the name landed on the window that heavy users care about least. The weekly cap that users actually hit did not become 20x along with it.

The official pricing page now states it clearly: Max is 5x Pro, calculated on a 5-hour and weekly basis; Ultra is 10x Pro per week, and verified accounts have no 5-hour limit. In the screenshot, Ultra is priced at €180 per month, includes Claude Code, and has up to $200 per month in API credits, $100 more than Max. Prices and taxes vary by region; the official page still lists $200 per month.

Why is this worth looking at? Because for people running agents, the disappearance of the 5-hour limit will make continuous calls over short periods much more comfortable. But the weekly cap is still there. Some users say that with the 5-hour brake gone, agent loops will feel great—until they hit the weekly cap the next day. Another user is more direct: Fable 5.5 burns through the 5-hour quota too fast, and the only way around it is to go for the $200 plan.

The reactions are also quite measured. Someone asks, so is it 10x or 20x? Someone sums it up: renaming is cheaper than explaining. Someone else reminds people that the temporary 5-hour limit for new accounts will not disappear immediately.

When choosing a plan, first calculate how many tasks you can run in a week, then look at the 5-hour window. The name has changed, the bill has not, and the weekly wall has not either. Source: @Hesamation's breakdown, Claude official tweet, pricing page.