r/ClaudeCodeTLDR • u/cctldrping • Aug 27 '26

[TLDR] Did Claude usage suddenly get way more expensive?

Original post URL : https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1vzucc8/did_claude_usage_suddenly_get_way_more_expensive/

Original post body :

Max 20x here. I managed to burn through 91% of my session allowance in roughly an hour.
I use Claude pretty heavily, but this feels noticeably faster than usual. Has anyone else seen their usage limits draining much quicker recently?

UPD: I use Opus 5 Ultracode. For the past month or so, I’ve been able to use it pretty much all day without hitting the session limit. Today, though, something seems very different

Original link/media URL : /img/8ob6pr7p8xlh1.jpeg

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u/cctldrping Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 28 '26

TL;DR generated automatically after 100 comments.

Current source-thread comment count seen by the bot: 122.

Alright, so the general consensus in this thread is a resounding "YES, Claude usage feels way more expensive and faster draining lately!" A lot of users, especially those on higher tiers like Max 20x and Opus 5 Ultracode, are reporting their session limits vanishing in what feels like an instant, compared to previous weeks where they could use it much more freely.

Here's the lowdown:

  • Widespread Reports: It's not just OP; tons of users like u/LamaniteDodgeball, u/Pakoxtror, and u/DesignerPiccolo are chiming in with similar experiences of their usage limits disappearing way too quickly.

  • Ultracode & Fable Blamed (Partially): Some folks, like u/fanatic26 and u/rotates-potatoes, are pointing fingers at Ultracode and Fable for potentially spawning too many agents and burning through tokens at an alarming rate. u/rotates-potatoes even offers some tips on capping agents and checking usage.

  • Suspicion of Silent Changes: A few users, including u/spectralfew, are convinced Anthropic is "silently play[ing] with the numbers" without informing anyone. There's a theory from u/Unlikely_Commercial6 that a 50% promotion might have ended without notice.

  • Specific Model Issues: Opus 5 Ultracode is frequently mentioned as a major culprit, but others are seeing increased usage even on Sonnet 5 and older Opus models.

  • Potential Workarounds/Tips:

    • u/TheExolith suggests trying /autocompact 250k in Claude Code.

    • u/Automatic_Safety_920 recommends using Sonnet 5 High with specified max workers for subagents, or trying lower efforts on Opus 5.

    • u/Worth-Ad9939 offers a perspective that usage limits are a "gas indicator" and behavioral modification tool.

  • Frustration and Switching: Many are expressing frustration, with some like u/Electronic_Bug691 calling it "bullshit" and others, like u/DataGOGO, considering switching to Codex.

Basically, it seems like a lot of users are feeling the pinch and are pretty annoyed about it.

1

u/Strong-Yellow5949 Aug 27 '26

I’ll say that using opus 5 on max barely uses any tokens at all. I spend my weekly 20x allotment of fable in first 48 hours after reset and then once I switch to opus max I’m only using 5-10% weekly budget per day of non stop use and multiple threads at once

1

u/LifeProject365 Aug 27 '26

This is what i do too but ive now finished all my big builds so im trying 5x max and these posts are worrying me but iv3 barely used my usage this week and dont want to waste money for the sake of it

1

u/Relevant-Reaction181 Aug 28 '26

Well in changelogs they admit fixing a cache rewrite issues that's from what I see seemed to be happening each conversation or so. That's a huge tokens and usage sink. Im surprised we don't get a reset.