Claude (Anthropic)
claude.com ↗Claude in short
What it is: Best for work on your own files and browser when you want to choose between approving each action and automated checks; local files and the browser need Claude Desktop open. Price: Free tier. Free $0; Pro $17/mo billed annually ($200 up front) or $20 monthly; Max $100/mo (5x Pro usage); Ultra $200/mo (10x Pro weekly usage, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts); Team Standard $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium $100 annual ($125 monthly); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage. (checked 2026-11-03). Best for: hand off a report, spreadsheet or deck and come back later; schedule recurring tasks that run in the cloud. Watch out: computer use is in beta and limited to Pro, Max and Ultra.
Our verdict
Best for work on your own files and browser when you want to choose between approving each action and automated checks; local files and the browser need Claude Desktop open.
Anthropic's help center says chat and Cowork are now one Claude that runs tasks in the cloud or on your desktop; Auto permission mode is the default on Pro, Max, Ultra and Team, and Manual mode asks before each action.
Based on public docs and pricing pages, not hands-on testing. How we checkStrengths
- Chat and Cowork now merged into one Claude that picks the tools a task needs
- Longer tasks can keep running in the cloud after you close your laptop
- A permission setting lets Claude ask before each action (Manual) or run automated safety checks instead (Auto, the default on Pro, Max, Ultra and Team)
- Free plan available
Limitations
- Computer use is in beta and limited to Pro, Max and Ultra
- Local files, the built-in browser and computer use need Claude Desktop open
- Every task counts toward plan usage limits
- Model training is opt-out on Free, Pro, Max and Ultra, per the pricing page
Claude pricing
Free $0; Pro $17/mo billed annually ($200 up front) or $20 monthly; Max $100/mo (5x Pro usage); Ultra $200/mo (10x Pro weekly usage, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts); Team Standard $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium $100 annual ($125 monthly); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage.
From the official pricing page, checked 2026-11-03. Plans change, so confirm before you buy.
Is Claude free?
Yes, it lists a free way to start. Free $0; Pro $17/mo billed annually ($200 up front) or $20 monthly; Max $100/mo (5x Pro usage); Ultra $200/mo (10x Pro weekly usage, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts); Team Standard $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium $100 annual ($125 monthly); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage. (official pricing page, checked 2026-11-03)
Good for
Note: Merged experience is rolling out to Pro, Max and Ultra first: https://claude.com/resources/articles/cowork-is-now-claude. Max 20x is now called Ultra, with no price change: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17728952-what-is-the-ultra-plan. Claude Duet, Anthropic's proactive agent app, has its own entry. Claude Code is listed separately.
Compare all AI assistants: pricing, credits, approvals and data use →
What users say
Community sentiment (opinion, not verified facts)Mixed reactions to Cowork moving into Claude
Some users welcome having one app; others say they preferred Cowork as a separate product.
- r/ClaudeAI on Reddit: Claude Cowork and chat are merging into one Claude
- r/ClaudeAI on Reddit: I love Cowork and Chat, but I love them separate
Show all 3 posts
- @satvikps, Oct 1, 2026 on X
Project files after the merge
Posters describe project folders that went missing, were duplicated or became read-only after the change.
- r/ClaudeAI on Reddit: Project folders missing, duplicated, or out of date
- r/ClaudeAI on Reddit: project files are read-only context
Full community section and how we gathered it, in the AI assistants guide →
Alternatives in Assistants
- Muse (Meta): Best for trying a personal agent for free, with approvals and an audit trail; it is offered in North America, Japan and, since Oct 27, 2026, Singapore.
- Dots (OpenAI): Best for ChatGPT Pro users who want always on agents in ChatGPT, Slack and Teams; not offered in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK.
- Grok Bot: Best for running several agents that share a cloud computer, tools and files; the weekly pool is shared with Grok and Cursor.
- ChatGPT Work (OpenAI): Best for turning your tools and files into documents, presentations and web apps; the Free plan is desktop only, and usage is shared with Codex.
- Manus: Best for trying long tasks on free daily credits; monthly credits reset and go to zero if you cancel.
- Lindy: Best for teams that want an assistant in Slack and email that waits for approval on outside actions; every active user is billed.
- Motion: Best for planning your week with calendar scheduling; trials bill unless you cancel.
- Alexa+ (Amazon): Best for Prime households that want errands like takeout, reservations and rides done by voice; check approvals yourself, since Amazon's pages do not describe them.
- Claude Duet (Anthropic): Best for US Claude Pro, Max or Ultra subscribers who want morning briefs and check-ins; it is a waitlisted research preview that shares your Claude limits.
- Comet (Perplexity): Best for an assistant inside a free browser; agent work in Work mode runs on paid credits.
- Copilot Cowork (Microsoft): Best for Microsoft 365 Premium or Pro subscribers; Personal and Family plans lose access, and it is still a preview.
- Gemini (Google): Best for Google AI Pro or Ultra subscribers who want background tasks with apps like Instacart and OpenTable; not offered in the EEA, Nigeria, Switzerland or the UK.
Compare Claude
Recent Claude releases
- Claude Max 20x becomes Ultra (2026-10-31)
- Cowork merged into Claude (2026-09-16)
FAQ
Is Claude free?
Yes, it lists a free way to start. Free $0; Pro $17/mo billed annually ($200 up front) or $20 monthly; Max $100/mo (5x Pro usage); Ultra $200/mo (10x Pro weekly usage, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts); Team Standard $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium $100 annual ($125 monthly); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage. (official pricing page, checked 2026-11-03)
How much does Claude cost?
Free $0; Pro $17/mo billed annually ($200 up front) or $20 monthly; Max $100/mo (5x Pro usage); Ultra $200/mo (10x Pro weekly usage, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts); Team Standard $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium $100 annual ($125 monthly); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage. (from claude.com/pricing, checked 2026-11-03).
What is Claude used for?
Listed use cases: hand off a report, spreadsheet or deck and come back later; schedule recurring tasks that run in the cloud; organize files on your computer; browse and fill in forms through Claude Desktop or Claude in Chrome.
What are the best alternatives to Claude?
Other AI assistants in this directory: Muse (Meta), Dots (OpenAI), Grok Bot, ChatGPT Work (OpenAI). We list them in data order, not ranked.
Did you test Claude?
No. Verdicts are based on each vendor's public docs and pricing pages, not hands-on testing, unless a page says otherwise.