In this article, what you were doing is paying by API, doubtless using a credit card.
You could also just use your account subscription, but you use up your six hour quota fairly quickly and have to wait for the next top up. More expensive subscriptions get you larger and larger quotas.
This is such a clear and approachable breakdown, Jenny. I love how you frame Claude Code not just as “AI that writes code” but as a way to actually learn problem-solving and project thinking + the beginner projects you shared make it feel really accessible. Hope they'll adjust the costs though so more people can try it, they're pretty high right now.
Yeah, Claude code prices are pretty hight, and come with other drawbacks too. I just burned through $100+ on one project this weekend, still reflecting on it 😅.
That’s true, we can go deep and get creative with a tool, but it’s even more value when that level of use is not limited to just techies. I’ve got a few more articles like this lined up :)
Thank you, Jose!I also love how Claude Code helps establish an engineering mindset, and I couldn’t agree more, this skill is only going to become more and more important.
This is really cool Jenny. Thanks for the breakdown. I had a question: Can I use VS Code to use Claude Code with it? How will that work out...I know you're already gonna cover Claude Code usage with Cursor in a later post. But any quick tips on how this combo can work (or not?)
Thank you, Chintan! Yes, you can absolutely use Claude Code inside VS Code, I sometimes use it inside Cursor myself 😄
I haven’t used standard VS Code much lately, but unless things have changed significantly in the past year, the setup should work like this: Claude Code makes edits directly to your files, and you can view those changes live in the VS Code interface.
I’m not a coder but the way you described the shift from confusion to clarity felt very real. And it’s spot on how sticking with something actually helps you grow as a thinker, not just a doer.
Thank you, Melanie! That stat is higher than I would have expected, but it definitely aligns with what I’m seeing. The momentum behind these tools is only accelerating. Things are evolving so quickly, it’s hard to predict what the next few years will look like.
Claude Code is a great tool for non-coding tasks. I think more people outside of software development should be using it. It teaches you coding best practices but lets you apply them to your profession.
Totally agree! The deeper principles behind programming (problem decomposition, abstraction, systems thinking) are very underrated, especially outside of tech.
CC is the single closest thing we can get to an AI agent. Wild how everything can be done on the terminal. And it’s smart enough to do agentic things with huge context window!
Love the post Jenny! Cant wait to write about this too :)
Your comparison of hiring a contractor is generous! Most outsourced development teams will charge even more than $500-2,000 so it is great to know you can get most projects to a working MVP for less than a steak dinner. Great highlight of the advantages of using Claude code vs other coding assistants!
Thanks Jenny. Are you using CC by API or an account subscription?
You are welcome! I’m using CC through an account subscription. I haven’t explored the API option, do they actually offer one?
In this article, what you were doing is paying by API, doubtless using a credit card.
You could also just use your account subscription, but you use up your six hour quota fairly quickly and have to wait for the next top up. More expensive subscriptions get you larger and larger quotas.
Thanks for pointing that out! I looked back to my account about usage and plans, yes it is indeed paying by API.
sure, have another way is using with API, it can keep the cost in control be easy
Thanks for asking and sharing, like @Paul Parker pointed out, I realize my earlier answer was misleading.
I actually have a subscription with Anthropic to use Claude, but I also have an API key set up that charges per use in Claude Code.
This is such a clear and approachable breakdown, Jenny. I love how you frame Claude Code not just as “AI that writes code” but as a way to actually learn problem-solving and project thinking + the beginner projects you shared make it feel really accessible. Hope they'll adjust the costs though so more people can try it, they're pretty high right now.
Yeah, Claude code prices are pretty hight, and come with other drawbacks too. I just burned through $100+ on one project this weekend, still reflecting on it 😅.
Ugh, that’s a looot compared to the other vibe coding tools😅
I'd love to read something like this but an actual how-to for dummies. Definitely understand the value prop.
Thanks, Michael!
That’s true, we can go deep and get creative with a tool, but it’s even more value when that level of use is not limited to just techies. I’ve got a few more articles like this lined up :)
Super useful! I like that Claude Code process helps users to get an engineering mindset. I think that’s the skill of the future (present?)
Thank you, Jose!I also love how Claude Code helps establish an engineering mindset, and I couldn’t agree more, this skill is only going to become more and more important.
Thank you
You are welcome :)
Bravo Jenny. You’re my favorite writer in this space. Continually making these skills accessible to all. Great work
Thank you so much, Kyle! It absolutely keeps me motivated to keep pushing forward :)
This is really cool Jenny. Thanks for the breakdown. I had a question: Can I use VS Code to use Claude Code with it? How will that work out...I know you're already gonna cover Claude Code usage with Cursor in a later post. But any quick tips on how this combo can work (or not?)
Thank you, Chintan! Yes, you can absolutely use Claude Code inside VS Code, I sometimes use it inside Cursor myself 😄
I haven’t used standard VS Code much lately, but unless things have changed significantly in the past year, the setup should work like this: Claude Code makes edits directly to your files, and you can view those changes live in the VS Code interface.
I’m not a coder but the way you described the shift from confusion to clarity felt very real. And it’s spot on how sticking with something actually helps you grow as a thinker, not just a doer.
According to https://www.statista.com/statistics/1406835/ai-developer-tools-worldwide/, adoption of AI coding assistants is up 37 percent year-on-year, which shows how many are finally giving these tools a second look.
Thank you, Melanie! That stat is higher than I would have expected, but it definitely aligns with what I’m seeing. The momentum behind these tools is only accelerating. Things are evolving so quickly, it’s hard to predict what the next few years will look like.
Thanks for this ! Trying out
Great! Let me know how do you like it :)
Claude Code is a great tool for non-coding tasks. I think more people outside of software development should be using it. It teaches you coding best practices but lets you apply them to your profession.
Totally agree! The deeper principles behind programming (problem decomposition, abstraction, systems thinking) are very underrated, especially outside of tech.
CC is the single closest thing we can get to an AI agent. Wild how everything can be done on the terminal. And it’s smart enough to do agentic things with huge context window!
Love the post Jenny! Cant wait to write about this too :)
Appreciate it, Wyndo!
Totally agree, it is wild how much you can now do directly in the terminal.
This kind of interaction feels like a quiet shift that might reshape how we all work with AI agents in the years ahead.
Can’t wait to read your thoughts!
Your comparison of hiring a contractor is generous! Most outsourced development teams will charge even more than $500-2,000 so it is great to know you can get most projects to a working MVP for less than a steak dinner. Great highlight of the advantages of using Claude code vs other coding assistants!
Thank you Jing! Yes, it's unbelievable to think about the cost of building a functional MVP before AI agents.
People complain about the high cost of AI, but when you compare it to traditional dev cycles, tools like Claude Code feel almost too efficient.
https://open.substack.com/pub/hamtechautomation/p/a-battle-tested-sredevops-engineers?r=64j4y5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks for sharing this Jenny. It's super clear and actionable!