Which Claude Plan Do You Need?
Picking the wrong plan is the most common early mistake. Free accounts cap out mid-day. Pro is fine for solo use but has no team features. Team is the right default for any company with more than one person using Claude for work.
Prices below are current as of April 2026. Re-verify at claude.com/pricing before purchase.
The Plans at a Glance
| Plan | Price | Best For | Key Constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | First-time users, light personal use | Low daily message cap; not the most capable model |
| Pro | $17/mo annual, $20/mo monthly | Solo professionals using Claude daily | Personal only — no shared workspace |
| Max | From $100/mo | Heavy solo users (researchers, writers) | Personal only; 5× or 20× Pro usage tiers |
| Team | $20/seat annual, $25/seat monthly | Companies with 5+ people | Minimum 5 seats; premium-seat tier at $100/seat available |
| Enterprise | $20/seat + usage | Large orgs with SSO, SCIM, audit, HIPAA-readiness needs | Typically 100+ users; contact sales |
What "Shared Workspace" Actually Means
The jump from Pro to Team isn't about price — it's about the shared workspace.
On Pro or Max, everything is siloed to you. Your conversations, your Projects, your uploaded files. Nobody else sees any of it.
On Team, the company gets a shared environment:
- Admins can see who's using Claude and how often
- Projects can be shared across the team (one "Proposal Review" Project everyone uses)
- Billing is centralized — one invoice, one card
- Members are added or removed from a single panel
- Content is not used to train the model, by default
If more than one person at Empower will use Claude for work, Team is the call.
Clear Recommendations
Solo independent professional → Pro. Enough daily capacity for heavy use. Upgrade to Max if you hit limits before noon.
Small team (5–20 people) sharing work → Team. Set up the shared workspace day one so everyone pulls from the same Projects instead of rebuilding context individually.
Heavy single user generating content all day → Max. Highest limits of any personal account.
Company with legal, compliance, or SSO requirements → Start with Team to pilot. Move to Enterprise for custom retention, single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, audit logs, and a Data Processing Agreement.
The 5-Seat Floor
Team's minimum is 5 seats. That means $100–$125/month minimum even if you only have 3 active users. For companies in the 3–4 person range, you're either buying extra seats you'll grow into, or staying on Pro until the team expands.
For Empower at scale, 5 seats is rarely the binding constraint. If it is for a specific client pilot, flag it early.
Upgrading Later
You don't have to start perfect. Anthropic prorates plan changes. But starting on the right plan is faster than migrating later — if more than one person will use Claude for work, go Team on day one.
Try This Now (1 min)
Count the people at Empower who would touch Claude in the next 30 days. If it's 1 → Pro. If it's 2–4 → Pro for now; reassess at 5. If it's 5+ → Team.
What Happens Next
Once the plan is chosen, install the app. Continue to Lesson 03.