Anthropic Faces Class Action Over 'Max' Plan Usage Limits

Anthropic is facing an expanded class action lawsuit alleging the company deceptively advertised the usage limits of its high-tier "Max" subscription plan, as The Verge first reported. The lawsuit was brought by attorneys Monica Vaca and Kati Daffan, both former employees of the Federal Trade Commission who worked under Lina Khan.

The Max plan, introduced in April 2025 as an upgrade to the $20 per month Pro plan, offers two pricing tiers: $100 per month for "5x" usage limits and $200 per month for "20x" limits. The complaint alleges these figures are misleadingly presented in marketing graphics. While Anthropic argues that clarifying information is available via hyperlinks during the purchase process, the lawsuit claims the actual usage is restricted by five-hour "sessions" subject to weekly limits, resulting in a lower total capacity than advertised.

The Verge reports that Anthropic has explicitly prioritized power users, even when doing so required cutting off other popular applications, such as OpenClaw. However, the lawsuit suggests that the very users Anthropic is prioritizing feel misled. The complaint notes that the allegedly deceptive weekly limits were not imposed until August 2025, as the company sought to compete with OpenAI.

This friction comes as AI labs face increasing pressure to turn a profit and manage steep operating costs. In the release of its Fable 5.1 model, Anthropic indicated it was addressing customer feedback regarding pricing. Anthropic has not responded to requests for comment, though it argued in a motion to dismiss an earlier version of the case that accessing the session limits required nothing more than clicking available hyperlinks.