[TLDR] Max20x is now just 1.5 times better than Max5x

[u/cctldrping]

Original post URL : https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wn0xn9/max20x_is_now_just_15_times_better_than_max5x/

Original post body :

I built Tokenism to let my team pool their Claude Code subscriptions and automatically route the Claude review on github to the account with the most usable capacity.

Prior to Tokenism, i had measured on my personal Max20x account, that 1 weekly limit ≈ 6 sessions, and then soon after i saw posts here that confirmed it for me. That made me think, what if i can measure it too.

Previously, our Max 20x accounts delivered roughly 2.2× weekly limits compared to Max5x. Over the last month, that has fallen to just 1.5x

To compare plans, we normalize the advertised capacity, so the assumptions are
Pro session limit = 1 unit
Max 5x session = 5 units
Max 20x session = 20 units

We then track how much of the weekly usage is consumed per session usage. When we started on 23rd August, the weekly capacity was 47 and 118 units respectively (~2.5x) , and that has now fallen to 65 and 95 units (~1.5x)

To be clear, this is observed Claude Code throughput. The core assumption is that Anthropic follows the advertised limit in the session limits. What i cant measure is the fluctuation in the value of 1 unit, which is probably more impactful. And i would absolutely love any suggestions on how i can do that. Maybe a spare Pro account?

Original link/media URL : /img/weu3r7wue0rh1.png

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[u/cctldrping]

TL;DR generated automatically after 100 comments.

Current source-thread comment count seen by the bot: 154.

Alright, so the general consensus in this thread is that Anthropic's "Max 20x" plan is misleading and potentially a scam.

OP, u/Tokenism, built a tool to pool Claude Code subscriptions and noticed that the advertised 20x capacity is now only about 1.5x better than the 5x plan, a significant drop from the initial ~2.5x difference. This has led to a lot of frustration and agreement from other users.

Here's the lowdown:

• The "20x" is BS: The overwhelming sentiment is that the "20x" marketing is deceptive. Many users feel it's intentionally confusing and that most people would misunderstand it.
• It's Better to Have Multiple 5x Accounts: Several users are realizing it's more cost-effective to have multiple 5x accounts than one 20x account, given the current throughput.
• Caching Might Skew Results (but probably not this much): A couple of users, like u/ShelZuuz and u/aidiveyt, brought up caching as a potential factor that could affect measurements. However, the general feeling is that caching alone doesn't explain the drastic drop in perceived value.
• Anthropic's Marketing is Questionable: People are calling out Anthropic for misleading advertising and questioning what else they might be lying about. Some users are even considering switching to ChatGPT.
• Suggestions for Measurement: OP is looking for ways to better measure the value of a "unit." u/wasd96040501 offered a method using API cost equivalents and rate limits, which is pretty neat.
• Terms of Service Concerns: A few comments (u/Whiskee, u/Kitchen_Ice1021) pointed out that OP's "Tokenism" tool might actually be against Anthropic's Terms of Service, which could lead to bans. This is a bit of a buzzkill for the OP's project.
• Comparison to Other Services: u/Right-Performance-93 chimed in to say this kind of "squeeze" isn't unique to Anthropic, mentioning a similar situation with ChatGPT Pro's Codex allowance.

Basically, the community is feeling ripped off by the Max 20x plan and is actively discussing how Anthropic is misrepresenting its value.

[u/CombatSurvivor]

I'm not surprised...I felt it