Claude Code costs up to $200 a month. Goose does the same thing for free.

Overview

Claude Code, Anthropic's terminal-based AI coding agent, costs between $20 and $200 per month depending on usage, and its rate limits have sparked frustration among developers. Goose, an open-source AI agent built by Block, offers nearly identical functionality for free, runs entirely on a user's local machine, and works offline. The article contrasts Anthropic's subscription tiers and weekly rate limits with Goose's no-cost, local approach.

Key Takeaways

Claude Code pricing ranges from $20 to $200 per month and its rate limits have drawn developer complaints.
Goose, built by Block, is a free open-source agent that runs locally and works offline.
Goose has more than 26,100 GitHub stars, 362 contributors, and 102 releases.
Anthropic's weekly rate limits use token-based hours that vary by codebase and conversation.
Anthropic says the limits affect fewer than five percent of users.

Stats & Key Facts

#Claude Code pricing ranges from $20 to $200 per month
#Max plans cost $100 and $200 per month
#Pro plan limits users to 10 to 40 prompts every five hours
#Goose has more than 26,100 GitHub stars, 362 contributors, and 102 releases
#Goose version 1.20.1 shipped on January 19, 2026
#Independent analysis suggests roughly 44,000 tokens for Pro and 220,000 tokens for the $200 Max plan

Claude Code costs up to $200 a month. Goose does the same thing for free.

The cost problem with Claude Code

Claude Code's pricing has sparked a backlash among developers.

›Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal-based AI agent that can write, debug, and deploy code autonomously.
›Pricing ranges from $20 to $200 per month depending on usage.
›The pricing has sparked a growing rebellion among the programmers it aims to serve.

What Goose offers

Goose is positioned as a free, local alternative.

›Goose is an open-source AI agent developed by Block, the company formerly known as Square.
›It runs entirely on a user's local machine with no subscription fees, no cloud dependency, and no rate limits resetting every five hours.
›It can work offline, even on an airplane.

Software engineer Parth Sareen said your data stays with you, period, capturing the tool's core appeal of complete control over an AI-powered workflow.

Goose's momentum

The project's adoption signals a fast development pace.

›Goose has more than 26,100 stars on GitHub.
›It has 362 contributors and 102 releases since launch.
›The latest version, 1.20.1, shipped on January 19, 2026.

Anthropic's rate limits

New weekly limits have kept developer frustration high.

›The free plan provides no Claude Code access.
›The Pro plan, at $17 per month with annual billing or $20 monthly, limits users to 10 to 40 prompts every five hours.
›The Max plans, at $100 and $200, offer 50 to 200 and 200 to 800 prompts respectively, plus access to Claude 4.5 Opus.

In late July, Anthropic announced weekly rate limits: Pro users get 40 to 80 hours of Sonnet 4 per week, and $200 Max users get 240 to 480 hours of Sonnet 4 plus 24 to 40 hours of Opus 4.

Why the hours are confusing

The advertised hours are token-based, not literal time.

›The hours represent token-based limits that vary by codebase size, conversation length, and code complexity.
›Independent analysis suggests roughly 44,000 tokens for Pro users and 220,000 tokens for the $200 Max plan.
›Some users report hitting daily limits within 30 minutes of intensive coding.

Anthropic defended the changes, saying the limits affect fewer than five percent of users and target people running Claude Code continuously in the background, though it did not clarify whether that figure refers to Max subscribers or all users.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Claude Code cost?

Claude Code pricing ranges from $20 to $200 per month depending on usage, with a Pro plan at $17 monthly on annual billing or $20 monthly, and Max plans at $100 and $200.

What is Goose?

Goose is an open-source AI agent developed by Block that offers nearly identical functionality to Claude Code, runs entirely on a user's local machine, and is free with no subscription or rate limits.

How popular is Goose?

Goose has more than 26,100 GitHub stars, 362 contributors, and 102 releases, with version 1.20.1 shipping on January 19, 2026.

Why are Anthropic's rate limits controversial?

The advertised weekly hours are actually token-based limits that vary by codebase and conversation, which developers find confusing, and some report hitting limits within 30 minutes of intensive work.

How does Anthropic respond to the criticism?

Anthropic says the limits affect fewer than five percent of users and target people running Claude Code continuously in the background, though it has not clarified whether that figure refers to Max subscribers or all users.

The article frames Goose as a free, local alternative for developers frustrated by Claude Code's pricing and usage caps.