// how to
How to Use Claude for Free: What the Free Plan Includes
Sign up at claude.ai and you’re on the Free plan. According to Anthropic’s pricing page, it includes chat, web search, Artifacts, memory and up to five Projects; Claude Code and higher usage limits need a paid plan. Pro costs $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly.
The short version
Claude’s Free plan is a full assistant, with limits on how much you can use it. According to Anthropic’s pricing page (checked October 29, 2026):
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $20/month, or $17/month billed yearly |
| Chat, web search, memory | Yes | Yes, with more usage |
| Artifacts | Yes | Yes |
| Projects | Up to 5 | More, with expanded knowledge |
| Claude Code | No | Yes |
Plans and limits change; check claude.com/pricing for the current details.
Get the most from the free plan
- Start new chats for new topics. Long chats use more of your limit, because Claude rereads the whole conversation each time.
- Be specific the first time. A clear prompt saves back-and-forth. See write better prompts.
- Use Projects for background you’d repeat. Up to five on Free. See use Claude Projects.
- Attach only what’s needed. A 3-page excerpt beats a 300-page manual if that’s all you’re asking about.
- Batch small questions into one message instead of five.
Prompts to copy
Do more in one message:
Three quick things:
1. [question]
2. [question]
3. [question]
Answer each in under 50 words.
Shorten a long chat before continuing:
Summarize what we've decided in this chat in 10 bullet points, so I can start a fresh chat with it.
Mistakes to avoid
- One endless chat for everything. It burns through limits and confuses answers.
- Pasting whole documents when a section will do.
- Paying before you know your pattern. Use Free for a week or two first.
When to upgrade
If you hit the limit most days, want Claude Code for programming, or need more Projects and space in them, compare Pro and Max on Anthropic’s pricing page.
Related: how to use Claude.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when I reach the free limit?
Claude tells you when you've hit your usage limit and when it resets. You can wait, or upgrade to a paid plan for more usage.
Is the free plan good enough?
For occasional writing, summaries and questions, often yes. If you use Claude daily for work, or want Claude Code, a paid plan is usually worth comparing.
Free download
Get the AI Coding Starter Kit
A PDF you can use with any AI coding assistant: a project-rules template, 25 tested prompt patterns, a team adoption checklist and an assistant comparison sheet. The editable Markdown sources are included.
- Works with Copilot, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and more
- Double opt-in, one-click unsubscribe
- No trackers, never shared