Is Claude Opus 4.5 free?
No—not on Claude’s Free plan. Anthropic’s plan comparison marks Opus as unavailable on Free. Direct API use is billed at $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens. [1][2]
Anthropic also documents monthly Claude API credits for eligible Max, Ultra, and Team subscribers. These are tied to paid plans, expire at the end of the billing cycle, and do not roll over. The documentation does not establish here the specific allowance that will apply to your plan, so check your eligibility and Console balance before budgeting around credits. [3]
Free plan, API billing, and subscription credits
- Claude app: Opus is not included in the Free plan. Paid-plan access to the Opus family does not guarantee that the legacy Opus 4.5 version will be selectable; check the model selector for your account. [1][2]
- Claude API: Opus 4.5 has published token rates. Subscription credits may offset eligible API charges, but the app plan and API billing are distinct. The reviewed documentation does not establish a free Opus 4.5 API allowance or a trial that applies to this model. [2][3]
- Paid-plan API credits: Anthropic documents credits for eligible Max, Ultra, and Team subscribers. Check the current plan terms and your Console balance for the applicable amount and eligibility; don’t assume a particular allowance. [3]
- Third-party offers: A service’s own credits or quota have separate terms. Confirm the exact model version and conditions with that service; its offer is not the same as free access through Anthropic.
Opus 4.5 API price and sample budget
Anthropic lists Opus 4.5 at $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens. [2]
Example: For 100,000 input tokens and 20,000 output tokens at those rates:
- Input: 0.1 × $5 = $0.50
- Output: 0.02 × $25 = $0.50
- Estimated total: $1.00
This is an estimate of token charges, not a promise that subscription credits will cover them. Check current pricing and your available credits before deployment.
Is Opus 4.5 suitable for a production API?
Anthropic’s model documentation identifies the API model as claude-opus-4-5-20251101 and labels Opus 4.5 a legacy model, with Opus 5.5 identified as the current Opus model. [2] The available evidence establishes the identifier and legacy designation, but does not establish whether Opus 4.5 is currently accepting new API requests or specify a retirement date. Confirm current availability in the model overview or Console before committing to a new integration; plan for migration without assuming a guaranteed availability window.
Anthropic documents the Claude API at https://api.anthropic.com and the Messages API endpoint as POST /v1/messages; direct API access requires a Claude Console account and credentials. Before deployment, check the current API documentation and your Console for applicable access and rate limits. [4][5]
Access and price alone don’t establish production fit. The right choice depends on your workload’s quality, latency, and cost requirements; evaluate it with representative inputs before committing.
Bottom line: Opus 4.5 is not included in Claude’s Free plan, and direct API use has per-token charges. Paid-plan API credits may offset eligible charges, but they are a paid-plan benefit, not a free plan. Opus 4.5 is documented as legacy, so consider migration needs when planning a production integration.
Sources
Plans & pricing | Claude by Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5 | Claude Platform Docs
API credits for Max, Ultra, and Team plans | Claude Platform Docs