For most people asking this, stay on free until you hit the wall. US Apple Claude Pro is $20, dated 29 Aug 2026. Anthropic’s website lists $200/year versus $240 paid monthly. ChatGPT Plus has no annual plan and cannot take gift cards.
Pakistan Pro is Rs4,900 / $17.69. Philippines Pro is ₱1,290 / $20.87 — not Plus’s ₱999 door. Apple credit can pay Claude. Rails: /how-to-pay/. Rank: cheapest country for Claude Pro.
$20 Claude is not $19.99 Plus
Same-looking rupee, two merchants. Pakistan Rs4,900 is cheapest Claude and a cheap-ish Plus cell. Gift-card truth splits them.
| Storefront | Claude Pro | ChatGPT Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | Rs4,900 = $17.69 | Rs4,900 = $17.69 |
| United States | $20 | $19.99 |
| Turkey | ₺999.99 = $20.86 | ₺999.99 = $20.86 |
| India | ₹1,999 = $20.88 | ₹1,999 = $20.88 |
| Philippines | ₱1,290 = $20.87 | ₱999 = $16.16 |
| Nigeria | ₦29,900 = $22.10 | ₦31,500 = $23.28 |
| Hungary | 8,990 Ft = $28.62 | 8,990 Ft = $28.62 |
Philippines is the swap-test. Plus is cheap there. Claude is not.
Free Claude resets about every five hours. Pro multiplies that allowance and adds priority when demand is high. If you have never seen a limit message, you are not the customer. Max 5x US is $124.99; Max 20x US is $249.99.
Cancel drops you to free. History stays. Unused days in the month are not a refund.
A VPN does not recode Rs4,900 onto a US Apple ID.
Twin: Is ChatGPT Plus worth it? · ChatGPT vs Claude.
Methodology: methodology.