Anthropic is rolling out one of the biggest changes yet to the way users access Claude, signalling a departure from the familiar subscription model that has defined consumer AI services over the past two years. Beginning today, the company is significantly limiting access to its flagship model, Claude Fable 5, under paid plans while pushing many users towards usage-based billing.

The move ends months of temporary extensions that allowed subscribers to continue using Fable 5 without additional charges. Anthropic had originally planned to phase out subscription access earlier but repeatedly delayed the transition. The revised policy now comes into force as the AI company grapples with soaring demand for its most capable model, mounting infrastructure costs and increasing competition from rivals including OpenAI and Chinese AI firms.

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The updated access rules also arrive as Anthropic quietly expands its presence in India by introducing local currency pricing for Claude subscriptions, making its paid plans more accessible to customers in one of its fastest-growing markets.

Anthropic subscription: What is changing starting July 20

Under the revised plans, Claude Fable 5 will no longer be available to all paid subscribers in the same way.

Customers on Claude Max and Team Premium subscriptions will continue to receive access to the model, but with a significantly lower allowance.
Anthropic has reduced their usage entitlement to 50 per cent of the previous limit, meaning even its highest-paying subscribers will encounter tighter restrictions when using the company’s most advanced AI system.

For users on Claude Pro and Team Standard, the change is even more significant. Fable 5 is effectively being removed from their subscription benefits altogether. Those customers will now need to pay separately using Anthropic’s API pricing if they wish to continue using the model.

To soften the transition, Anthropic is providing affected users with a one-time credit worth $100 that can be used towards API usage. However, for developers and heavy users who regularly rely on Claude Fable 5, that credit is unlikely to last long.

The decision represents a notable shift in the economics of consumer AI. Rather than offering unrestricted access through a monthly subscription, Anthropic is increasingly aligning its premium model with a pay-for-usage approach, where costs depend on the amount of computing consumed.

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The company has previously acknowledged that exceptionally high demand for Claude Fable 5 has created capacity challenges and occasionally affected the user experience. At the same time, it has continued investing heavily in additional computing infrastructure. Reuters reported earlier this week that Anthropic and Meta are discussing a potential compute lease agreement worth up to $10 billion, under which Anthropic could use Meta’s infrastructure for as long as two years.

The revised access policy may also reflect the changing competitive landscape. OpenAI recently introduced GPT-5.6 Sol, claiming performance comparable to Claude Fable 5 at roughly one-third of the cost. At the same time, a growing number of open-weight models from Chinese companies, including Moonshot AI, have intensified pricing pressure across the AI industry. Against that backdrop, Anthropic appears to have opted for a compromise—retaining limited subscription access for some users instead of removing Fable 5 entirely.

Anthropic introduces India pricing

Alongside the subscription changes,
Anthropic has quietly localised Claude’s pricing for customers in India.

Instead of paying in US dollars, Indian users can now subscribe directly in rupees, with GST already included in the listed prices. The change simplifies payments by eliminating foreign currency conversions and additional transaction costs, making the service easier for both individual users and businesses to adopt.

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Claude Pro, the company’s entry-level paid plan, is now priced at Rs 2,000 per month when purchased through an annual subscription. Customers choosing to pay monthly will be charged Rs 2,399. Previously, the same plan cost $20 per month, or approximately $17 per month on annual billing, before taxes and payment-related charges.

The localisation comes as India emerges as one of Anthropic’s most important markets. Industry reports have suggested that the country is now Claude’s second-largest user base after the United States, underscoring its strategic importance as global AI companies compete for customers.

Taken together, today’s announcements highlight a broader shift in Anthropic’s business strategy. The company is simultaneously tightening access to its most expensive AI model to better manage computing resources while making its subscription service easier to purchase in high-growth markets such as India. As the race to build increasingly powerful AI systems accelerates, balancing infrastructure costs with competitive pricing is becoming as important as the models themselves.

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