6 min · +90 XP
Getting access and what it costs
Which plan to choose, how usage limits work, and where Claude is available.
By the end of this lesson
You will be able to choose a plan, buy it on the website and know what to expect from usage limits.
Claude Code needs an account to log in with. The free Claude plan does not include Claude Code. You need a paid subscription or a Claude Console account.
Which option fits you
The ways to get Claude Code
- 1Pro: the usual start for one person, $20 a month (or $17 a month if you pay for a year at once). Current prices are on claude.com/pricing and can change.
- 2Max: for heavy daily use, from $100 a month. It gives much more usage than Pro.
- 3Team or Enterprise: through your employer. An admin invites you, and you log in with that work account.
- 4Claude Console (platform.claude.com): access through the API with pre-paid credits. You pay for each request instead of a monthly price.
›Subscription or Console: what is the difference
A subscription is a fixed monthly price, and you work within its usage limits. Console is pay-as-you-go: every request costs a little money, and the bill grows with use. When Claude Code first asks how to log in, it offers both. If you bought Pro or Max, choose the subscription option, otherwise your plan is not used.
Buy a plan (in the browser)
- 1Open claude.com/pricing and compare the plans.
- 2Create an account on claude.ai with your email or Google account.
- 3Subscribe to Pro on the website. I suggest the website rather than the phone app, because app store billing is handled by Apple or Google and prices can differ.
- 4Keep the login details. Claude Code will use the same account.
Usage limits
Every paid plan has usage limits: one for the current session, which resets after a few hours, and a weekly one. When you reach a limit, Claude Code says so, for example "You've hit your session limit", and shows when it resets. Your Claude chat and Claude Code share the same allowance.
/usage
Type this inside Claude Code. It shows how much of your plan's limits you have used and when each one resets.
Every plan has limits, and reaching one does not mean something is broken. When you hit one, you can wait for the reset, or run /rate-limit-options to see the choices: continue automatically after the reset, add usage credits, or upgrade the plan.
Where Claude is available
Anthropic serves only the countries listed at anthropic.com/supported-countries. Russia and Belarus are not on that list (checked in October 2026); Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and several neighbouring countries are. This course does not describe ways around the restriction. If you are in an unsupported country, you can still read the course: its ideas apply to any AI coding agent.
Free chat services answer questions in a browser window. Claude Code is an agent that works with the files on your computer for a long time, and the plan pays for that work. If you like a free chat, keep using it for questions.
You bought Pro. On the first start Claude Code asks how you want to log in. Which option do you choose?
In the middle of a task Claude Code says "You've hit your session limit". What has happened?
Facts checked against the official Claude Code docs October 24, 2026 · source
Author
Evgenii Arsentev
PhD · Chief Executive Officer, digital health