Anthropic Accused of Deception Over Claude Max Subscriptions

Anthropic, a company specializing in artificial intelligence, is currently facing a class-action lawsuit. This recently proposed action accuses the company of misleading its subscribers about the true usage limits of its subscription plans for Claude, an AI assistant. Claude is designed to assist with various tasks such as coding, writing, research, and data analysis.

The complaint alleges that the usage limits of the more expensive subscriptions, Max 5x and Max 20x, are significantly lower than what Anthropic publicly claims. The Max 20x plan, which costs $200 per month, is supposed to offer 20 times the usage of the Pro plan. However, according to the complaint, it actually allows for only six to eight times the usage. Similarly, the Max 5x plan, priced at $100 per month, would provide only three and a half times the usage of the Pro plan, instead of the promised five times. For comparison, the Claude Pro plan is offered between $17 and $20 per month.

The plaintiff, Karl Khan, filed this complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Khan initially used Claude for personal reasons before deciding to integrate it into his coding work. He gradually upgraded his subscription to the Max 20x plan by April 2026. Khan found that a single five-hour coding session could consume nearly 20% of his weekly data allocation. This observation led him to conclude that there was a significant discrepancy between Anthropic's advertising promises and the reality of the usage limits.

The complaint also highlights Anthropic's lack of transparency regarding usage limits. The company's website is described as a "black box," with no clear explanation of how usage is calculated. While blog posts provide tips on managing usage for large projects, they do not specify how many prompts can be sent to Claude under the different plans. Furthermore, Anthropic does not clearly define what constitutes a single session.

Subscribers who reach their usage cap on premium plans are encouraged to spend more money on credits to continue using Claude. Anthropic stated in a blog post that it reserves the right to "limit your usage in various ways, such as weekly and monthly caps or the use of models and features, at [its] discretion."

The complaint states that "many subscribers have expressed their frustration and complained that [Anthropic] has engaged in a bait and switch practice," including testimonials from frustrated customers. At least one popular thread on Reddit is filled with similar stories, where several subscribed users were caught off guard by usage bottlenecks. The original poster described the premium plan as "extremely misleading."

The complaint seeks class-action status for anyone who has purchased and used Anthropic's Max 5x or Max 20x subscription plans since April 2025. While the extent of the damages being sought in this case is not yet known, the complaint indicates that "the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million, exclusive of fees."

Alongside this case, concerns about rising costs of AI model subscriptions and the lack of transparency regarding usage limits for commercial customers are growing. Several Claude models continue to be adopted by programmers and so-called "vibe coders." The Trump administration recently banned foreign governments and companies from using Anthropic's most powerful AI tools and temporarily suspended entire models until they comply with new regulations.

Anthropic continues to develop new tools for its users in anticipation of its initial public offering. Its competitors, such as SpaceX, which just executed the largest IPO in history, and OpenAI, which is preparing to enter the public market, are following similar strategies. A representative from Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.