Anthropic Launches Expensive Subscription Plan for AI Chatbot Claude: Max
Anthropic announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a new, very expensive subscription plan for its AI chatbot Claude: Max. An answer to OpenAI’s $200-a-month ChatGPT Pro tier, Max comes with higher usage limits than Anthropic’s $20-per-month Claude Pro subscription as well as priority access to the company’s newest AI models and features.
Two Flavors of Max
A bit confusingly, Max comes in two flavors with different price points and usage limits. There’s a $100-per-month Max tier with 5x higher rate limits than Claude Pro and a $200-per-month Max option with 20x higher rate limits.
Frontier AI Model Developers Seeking New Revenue Streams
Frontier AI model developers are looking for new ways to increase revenue — and selling power users an expensive AI subscription seems like a promising way to do it. Just two months after launching ChatGPT Pro, OpenAI reportedly told investors its annualized revenue grew by $300 million. Should Anthropic’s new Max plan be similarly successful, it could give the company a much-needed boost.
Anthropic’s Product Lead on Future Plans
Anthropic’s product lead Scott White told TechCrunch in an interview that the company is not ruling out launching even pricier subscriptions someday. Notably, Anthropic still doesn’t have an unlimited usage plan, which OpenAI offers with ChatGPT Pro.
When asked whether Anthropic would ever consider launching a $500-per-month Claude plan, White said, “We’ll always keep a number of exploratory options available to us.” User feedback will continue to guide Anthropic’s product roadmap, he added.
New Revenue Channels
To meet the massive costs of developing frontier AI models, Anthropic is exploring various new revenue channels, one of which is Claude for Education. Claude for Education targets university customers, providing specific capabilities and benefits for colleges.
Demand for Claude Products
Anthropic declined to tell TechCrunch how many Claude subscriptions it has sold to date. However, White said the company’s new Claude 3.7 Sonnet AI model has created “a lot of demand” for its products. Claude 3.7 Sonnet is Anthropic’s first reasoning model, a type of model that uses more computing power than traditional models to answer certain questions more reliably.
Conclusion
Anthropic’s new Max subscription plan aims to capitalize on the growing demand for AI-powered chatbots and other frontier AI models. With its focus on providing high-end features and priority access to new models and features, Max is poised to attract power users and enterprises looking for advanced AI capabilities.
FAQs
What is the difference between Claude Pro and Max?
Max comes with higher usage limits and priority access to new models and features compared to Claude Pro.
How many flavors of Max are available?
Max is available in two flavors: a $100-per-month option with 5x higher rate limits than Claude Pro and a $200-per-month option with 20x higher rate limits.
Will Anthropic launch even pricier subscriptions in the future?
According to Anthropic’s product lead Scott White, the company is open to exploring even pricier subscription options in the future, but will continue to prioritize user feedback in shaping its product roadmap.
What is Claude for Education?
Claude for Education is a new revenue channel for Anthropic, targeting university customers and providing specific capabilities and benefits for colleges.
How many Claude subscriptions has Anthropic sold to date?
Anthropic declined to disclose the number of Claude subscriptions it has sold to date, but noted that its new Claude 3.7 Sonnet AI model has created “a lot of demand” for its products.
