I pay $200/month for Claude Max 10x and wanted to verify it’s actually saving me money.
ccusage shows what I would have spent on API tokens:
Even in June (lighter usage), API tokens would have cost more than the subscription. July shows why I’ll keep paying - I’m already at 6x the subscription cost.
The numbers
- Claude Max 5x: $100/month
- Claude Max 20x: $200/month
- My June API usage: $246
- My July API usage: $1,362 (and counting)
Check your own usage
npx ccusage@latest monthly
Context
I run a side business and bill clients for development work, which makes a $200/month tool easier to justify. With a fixed monthly cost, I never think “is this prompt worth it?” or “should I try a different approach?” I just build. No mental math on whether refactoring this feature will cost $0.50 or $5.00 in tokens.
That cognitive overhead disappeared with the subscription. The code ships faster when you’re not rationing your tool usage.
For hobbyists, these numbers might not make sense. But if you’re doing paid work, run ccusage and see where you land.