Anthropic · AI assistant
Claude
Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant, first released in March 2023, used for writing, analysis, research and coding in its web, desktop and mobile apps and through Anthropic's API.
- Made by
- Anthropic
- Type
- AI assistant
- Launched
- March 2023
Facts checked
What is Claude?
Claude is built for long, document-heavy work: it can read large files, analyse data, write and edit code and run longer multi-step tasks. Claude Code brings the same models to software development in the terminal and IDE.
Anthropic's current models are Claude Fable 5.1 (September 2026), Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5 (June 2026) and Claude Haiku 4.5. The free plan uses Sonnet and Haiku; paid plans add Opus and Fable.
Claude Pro costs $20 a month ($17 a month billed annually) and Max starts at $100 a month. Team and Enterprise plans add administration, security controls and shared usage for organisations.
Claude key facts
| Developer | Anthropic |
|---|---|
| Type | AI assistant |
| First released | March 14, 2023 |
| Current models | Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, API |
| Free tier | Yes (Sonnet and Haiku models) |
| Paid plans | Pro ($20/month), Max (from $100/month), Team, Enterprise |
| Coding tool | Claude Code (included with Pro and above) |
Claude compared
Guides that cover Claude
Claude FAQ
Is Claude free?
Yes. Claude's free plan works on the web, desktop and mobile apps and uses the Sonnet and Haiku models. Pro ($20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually) adds Claude Code, Research, projects and access to the Opus and Fable models.
What is the difference between Claude Pro and Claude Max?
Max starts at $100 a month and offers 5× or 20× the usage of Pro, higher output limits, priority access at busy times and early access to new features. Pro suits regular individual use; Max suits heavy daily use such as long coding sessions.
Who makes Claude?
Claude is made by Anthropic, an AI safety and research company founded in 2021. Anthropic released Claude to the public in March 2023.
Sources
Every fact on this page is checked against a vendor announcement, documentation or a named news report.
- Plans & pricing — Anthropichttps://claude.com/pricing
- Anthropic newsroom — Anthropichttps://www.anthropic.com/news
- Introducing Claude — Anthropichttps://www.anthropic.com/news/introducing-claude