Looking for a Claude Pro alternative?
Claude Pro is a good product and the usual reason people look elsewhere is not quality — it is that there is nothing cheaper. Anthropic's cheapest paid plan is $20, so a light user and a heavy user pay the same.
Switchboard approaches it from the other end: pay for the amount you use, and let the routing decide which model each task deserves.
The prices, side by side
| Plan | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Pro | $20.00 | $240 |
| Switchboard Lite | $4.99 | $60 |
| Switchboard Plus | $9.99 | $120 |
| Switchboard Pro | $19.99 | $240 |
| Switchboard Builder | $49.99 | $600 |
What Switchboard does
An entry price that matches light use
$4.99 for Lite. If you ask an assistant a few things a day rather than living in it, you are no longer paying as though you did.
More than one company's models behind one bill
Different models are genuinely better at different things. One subscription gets you a choice rather than a vendor.
Visible cost per answer
Every reply shows which model answered, which tier it was and what it cost. No monthly charge with nothing behind it.
Your own tools, connected
Connect services you already use and let the assistant call them, with a daily cap you can see. One connection on Lite, up to twenty-five on Builder.
When you should stay where you are
A comparison page that cannot name a reason to stay is an advertisement. Here are the cases where we would not switch either:
- You use Claude's own features heavily — Projects, Artifacts, its desktop or mobile apps — and those are the reason you are there.
- You want to deal with the company that makes the model, with no intermediary.
- You are a heavy enough user that a flat fee genuinely works out cheaper than metered use.
Questions people ask
Does Switchboard use Claude models?
Switchboard routes to frontier models from several providers, Anthropic's among them. The provider list on the site names them.
Why is it cheaper?
Because most work does not need a frontier model, and routing it elsewhere costs a fraction. The saving is in what the easy questions cost, not in a worse answer to the hard ones.
What happens if I run out?
You are told before you hit a limit rather than after, and you can add a top-up or move up a plan. Nothing stops mid-sentence without warning.
Can I try it before I cancel anything?
Yes, and it is the sensible order to do it in. A few questions free with no account and no card, then a trial before you pay — keep Claude Pro running until you are sure.
The quickest way to settle it is to try it on your own work. Ask it something — a few questions free, no account, no card — or work out what you are paying today.