FableGuide › Is it free?
Yes — Claude Fable 5 is included at no extra cost on paid claude.ai plans (Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise) from June 9 through June 22, 2026. After June 23 it requires usage credits. The Claude API and Claude Code require a paid plan and bill per token — there is no free tier.
Who gets it free, and until when
The free window runs June 9 – June 22, 2026 and applies to paid claude.ai subscriptions: Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise. During this window Fable 5 is included in those plans at no additional charge. There is no separate sign-up — it appears in the model picker for subscribers. Access walkthroughs are in Start.
After June 23: usage credits
From June 23, 2026, subscription use of Fable 5 moves behind usage credits rather than being bundled into the plan. Anthropic describes the change as a capacity decision and says standard subscription access returns when capacity allows. The change affects claude.ai plans only — API access and API pricing are unchanged throughout.
The API and Claude Code are not free
There is no free public tier for the Claude API: Fable 5 bills per token at $10 per million input and $50 per million output the entire time. Claude Code, which Fable 5 powers, requires a paid plan. The only "free" path is the included-on-plans window above, and only on a paid claude.ai subscription.
Moral: free, but with a fence around it — paid plans only, and only through June 22. If you want to try Fable 5 for nothing, the clock is the constraint, not the cost. Start at Start.