Free to use. Pay for more usage.
The editor is free, and every account gets a usage limit that refills every 5 hours. Pro and Max raise it; credit, in dollars, keeps you going past it.
Free
The full editor, with credits to try hosted models.
$0
5-hour usage limitJoin the beta- The starnode editor, built on VS Code
- Extensions from Open VSX
- Workspace scan for AI use
- A 5-hour usage limit for starnode-hosted models
- Community support
Pro
For daily driving with model credits included.
$20/ mo
15x Free's usageStart Pro- Everything in Free
- 15x the Free plan's 5-hour usage limit
- No API key to set up
- Priority queueing on starnode-hosted requests
- Email support, next business day
Max 5x
For heavy daily use of the biggest models.
$100/ mo
5x Pro's usageStart Max 5x- Everything in Pro
- 5x Pro's 5-hour and weekly usage limits
- Early access to new models
- Priority support, same business day
Max 20x
For agents running all day, on every project.
$200/ mo
20x Pro's usageStart Max 20x- Everything in Max 5x
- 20x Pro's 5-hour and weekly usage limits
- The most room for background agents
- Priority support, same business day
What actually differs
Every plan is the same app, and Free is the whole product rather than a trial. These are on every plan:
- The starnode editor, built on VS Code
- Extensions from Open VSX
- Workspace scan for AI use
| Feature | Free | Pro | Max 5x | Max 20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usage per 5 hours | Base | 15x Free | 5x Pro | 20x Pro |
| Hosted models | Haiku, Sonnet, Opus | Haiku, Sonnet, Opus | Haiku, Sonnet, Opus | Haiku, Sonnet, Opus |
| Priority request queueing | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Early access to new models | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Support | Community | Email, next business day | Priority, same day | Priority, same day |
Questions
What actually uses credit?
Only messages to starnode-hosted models. The editor, extensions, the terminal and the workspace scan never cost anything. Credit is plain dollars: buy $20 and your balance reads $20.00. A message costs what the model actually used, so a short question costs less than a long one.
Which models can I use?
Claude Haiku 4.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5, on every plan. Bigger models cost more per message: the Credits page lists what a typical message costs on each.
What happens when I hit my limit?
Your 5-hour limit refills 5 hours after your first request, and there is a weekly limit too, which resets every Friday at 10 PM in your own timezone. To keep going sooner, buy credit on your account page and turn on "Use credit after the limit" in the editor: what goes past the limit is paid from your credit, in dollars. Bought credit never expires.
Can I switch between monthly and yearly?
Yes, any time from Settings → Billing. Switching to yearly applies the 10x-monthly rate immediately; switching back to monthly takes effect at your next renewal.
Want the details on how credits are spent?
Local code execution is always free. See exactly what a dollar of credit buys.