Claude Code
Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDE, desktop and web, included with paid Claude plans.
Founded 2025
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Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool, first released as a research preview in February 2025. You describe a task in plain language and it searches your codebase, edits files across the project, runs commands and tests, and can create commits and pull requests. It started in the terminal and now also runs as VS Code and JetBrains extensions, in the Claude desktop app, on the web and from Slack.
Claude Code works with Claude models only: Opus, Sonnet, Haiku and Fable. There is no separate subscription. It is included in paid Claude plans: Pro costs $20 a month ($17 a month billed yearly), Max costs $100 or $200 a month, and Team seats start at $20 a month billed yearly. Usage is shared with your Claude chats, and you can also pay per token through an Anthropic Console account.
Best for
Developers who want to hand whole tasks, from bug fixes to migrations, to an agent that works from the terminal or beside their current IDE, especially if they already pay for Claude.
Pros
- Runs in the terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, the desktop app and the browser, with the same settings and CLAUDE.md files everywhere
- Plans a change, edits many files, runs tests and commands, and opens pull requests
- No remote code index: it searches your project on demand
- Included in Claude Pro and higher plans, which also cover Claude chat
Cons
- Claude models only; you cannot switch to OpenAI, Google or Grok models
- No free plan: the cheapest subscription is Claude Pro at $17 a month billed yearly or $20 monthly
- A five-hour session limit and a weekly limit, shared with your Claude chats
- Not an editor itself: you pair it with VS Code, JetBrains or another IDE for hands-on editing
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (12-month total) |
|---|---|---|
| ProClaude Code included; $17/month billed yearly ($200 billed up front) | $20/mo | $200/yr ($16.67/mo) |
| Max 5x5x Pro usage; includes $100/month in Claude API credits (not for interactive Claude Code); billed monthly only | $100/mo | no yearly price |
| Max 20x20x Pro usage; includes $200/month in Claude API credits (not for interactive Claude Code); billed monthly only | $200/mo | no yearly price |
| Team StandardPer user/month; $20/user/month billed yearly; 2 to 150 seats | $25/mo | $240/yr ($20/mo) |
| Team PremiumPer user/month; $100/user/month billed yearly; 5x Standard usage | $125/mo | $1,200/yr ($100/mo) |
| Enterprise$20 per seat/month billed yearly, 20-seat minimum, plus usage at API rates | no monthly price | $240/yr, billed yearly ($20/mo) |
Prices checked on .
Features
In AI coding tools
| Feature | Claude Code |
|---|---|
| Editor type | Yes · Terminal CLI; VS Code and JetBrains extensions; desktop app; web |
| Agent mode | Yes · Agentic loop; Auto permission mode by default in terminal and VS Code |
| Multi-file edits | Yes · Coordinated edits across files |
| Runs terminal commands | Yes · Asks first, or auto mode screens risky commands |
| Model choice | Partial · Claude models only: Opus, Sonnet, Haiku, Fable |
| Codebase indexing | No · Agentic search instead; no remote code index |
| Free tier | No · Not in Claude Free; paid plan or pay-as-you-go API |
| Team/enterprise plan | Yes · Team from $20/seat/month billed yearly; Enterprise $20/seat + usage |
| Privacy mode | Yes · Training setting on Free/Pro/Max; no training by default on Team, Enterprise, API |