Claude Max plan could bundle Claude Code in push for broader adoption

Anthropic appears to be preparing a broader value proposition for its Claude Max plan, as internal testing banners suggest the inclusion of Claude Code within the same subscription tier. Claude Code, which currently requires separate API credits, may soon become accessible to Max subscribers directly, likely under a capped usage model. This shift could attract developers and technical users who currently weigh API costs against usage needs, making the Max plan more appealing for productivity workflows that involve code generation or analysis.

Another experiment centers around user acquisition through referrals. A temporary contest, likely aimed at viral growth, would reward users with points for each successful sign-up via their invite codes. Five winners per day will reportedly receive four months of Claude Max for free, and the campaign is expected to run for ten days. Although the total prize pool—estimated around €18,000—seems modest, the structure implies that Anthropic is more focused on stimulating referrals than heavy usage. Winners, after all, are unlikely to utilize the full quota of the Max plan.

While the exact launch date for either feature hasn’t been disclosed, both developments align with Anthropic’s ongoing strategy to scale Claude’s reach among both casual users and technical professionals. The company has been positioning itself against OpenAI’s ChatGPT by continuously tweaking subscription benefits and exploring user-driven growth mechanics. These tests were surfaced through frontend experiments, which typically precede broader rollouts.