Anthropic Updates Pricing Policy: Claude Code Subscribers Now Pay Extra for OpenClaw Usage

AI company Anthropic recently announced that starting from noon Pacific Time on April 4, Claude Code subscribers will no longer be able to use their subscription limits to support third-party tools, including the open-source code assistant OpenClaw. According to TechCrunch, this decision was notified via customer email, and users will need to pay extra through a pay-per-use option, which is billed separately from the subscription. This means that developers using tools like OpenClaw will face higher costs.

Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code at Anthropic, explained on platform X that the company's subscription model was not designed for the usage patterns of these third-party tools, and the policy adjustment is to "consciously manage growth to serve customers sustainably in the long term." This change occurred after OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joined Anthropic's competitor OpenAI. OpenClaw will continue to be supported by OpenAI as an open-source project, highlighting the competitive landscape of the AI assistant market.

This pricing adjustment reflects that companies are optimizing their business models to adapt to the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem. Users need to weigh the additional expenses against the tool's benefits, and the industry may see more companies finding a balance between open-source and proprietary services to maintain long-term competitiveness.