FableGuide › Is it free?
Yes, for one more week — following its July 1, 2026 return, Claude Fable 5 is included on paid claude.ai plans (Pro, Max, Team, and select Enterprise) at 50% of weekly usage limits through July 7, 2026. After July 7 it requires usage credits. The Claude API and Claude Code require a paid plan and bill per token — there is no free tier.
How to use Fable 5 without paying extra right now
The return window runs July 1 – July 7, 2026 and applies to paid claude.ai subscriptions: Pro, Max, Team, and select Enterprise. During this window Fable 5 is included in those plans, capped at half of your weekly usage limits. There is no separate sign-up — it appears in the model picker for subscribers, and in Claude Code via /model. For context: the original launch offer was free access June 9–22, but the June 12 export-control suspension pulled the model worldwide after about three days; this window is the make-good now that controls were lifted June 30. Access walkthroughs are in Start.
After July 7: usage credits
From July 8, 2026, subscription use of Fable 5 moves behind usage credits rather than being bundled into the plan. Standard Enterprise plans are credits-only with no included allowance; premium Enterprise is included through July 7, then credits. The change affects claude.ai plans only — API access and API pricing are unchanged throughout. If you want a cheap ongoing default instead, the new Claude Sonnet 5 is the default model for Free and Pro plans as of July 1.
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 no-extra-cost path is the included-on-plans window above, and only on a paid claude.ai subscription.
Moral: free-ish, but with a fence around it — paid plans only, half limits, and only through July 7. If you want to try Fable 5 without extra cost, the clock is the constraint, not the price. Start at Start.