Claude Code Pricing: Optimize Your Token Usage & Costs

Problem: Claude Code costs adding up fast, hitting usage limits, or unsure which subscription tier fits your workflow. Strategic model selection and usage tracking can cut costs by 70%.

Quick Win: Install ccusage to see exactly where your tokens go:

npm install -g @ryoppippi/ccusage
ccusage daily

This shows your daily token consumption and cost breakdown immediately.

Understanding Claude Code Pricing

Claude Code requires at least a Pro subscription ($20/month) since the free tier lacks terminal access.

Claude Pro ($20/month) - 5x usage limits vs free, Sonnet access, ~45 messages per 5-hour window. Best for learning and hobby projects.

Claude Max 5x ($100/month) - 5x Pro limits (~225 messages/5hr), generous Opus access. Best for professional developers.

Claude Max 20x ($200/month) - 20x Pro limits (~900 messages/5hr), full Opus access. Best for heavy daily usage and complex engineering.

API Pay-per-Use - Sonnet: $3/$15 per million input/output tokens. Opus: $15/$75 per million tokens. Best for predictable high-volume work.

Real Optimization Commands

Model Switching with /model

Switch models based on task complexity to control costs:

/model sonnet   # Default for 80% of tasks
/model opus     # Complex architecture decisions only

Rule: Start every session with Sonnet. Only switch to Opus when you need deep analysis or complex refactoring.

Context Control Commands

/compact    # Compress conversation when context gets long
/clear      # Start fresh for unrelated tasks

Long conversations consume more tokens with every message. Use /compact when you notice Claude losing track, and /clear when switching to completely different work.

Planning Mode (Shift+Tab)

Press Shift+Tab twice in the terminal to enter plan mode before expensive operations. Planning first prevents costly rework - Claude outlines the approach before writing code, so you catch issues early. Learn more in our planning modes guide.

Track Your Usage

Monitor consumption with ccusage reports:

ccusage daily              # Daily breakdown (default)
ccusage monthly            # Monthly aggregation
ccusage blocks --live      # Real-time 5-hour billing windows
ccusage daily --breakdown  # Per-model cost breakdown

Filter by date range when investigating spikes:

ccusage daily --since 20250101 --until 20250131

Cost-Saving Patterns

Specific prompts beat vague ones. Compare:

# Expensive (wastes tokens on clarification)
claude "make this better"
 
# Efficient (immediate results)
claude "optimize readability in src/auth.js - extract constants, add error handling"

Batch related tasks to maximize context efficiency:

claude "update error handling in auth.js, user.js, and api.js"

Watch for expensive patterns:

• Long debugging sessions - break into smaller, focused requests
• Repeated explanations - save them in CLAUDE.md
• Full codebase reviews - use targeted file analysis instead

When Things Go Wrong

Approaching limits? Switch models and compact:

/model sonnet
/compact

Hit rate limits? Wait for hourly reset, batch requests instead of rapid calls, or consider upgrading your plan.

Next Steps

• Install ccusage and run ccusage daily --breakdown
• Master context management to reduce token waste
• Configure model selection for your workflow
• Review troubleshooting tips to avoid expensive debugging

Track weekly and adjust based on data. Most developers reduce costs 40-70% with these strategies.