Claude
Anthropic's careful knowledge worker that hands back finished documents.
Claude is Anthropic's assistant, and since September 16, 2026 the agent features of Cowork and Design live inside ordinary conversations. It suits research, reports and presentations far more than errands. Claude Pro costs $20/month, or $17/month billed annually, and the Claude Max plans cost $100/month and $200/month.
How it works
You no longer pick a mode. Send a quick question or a deliverable with a deadline, and Claude works out whether to simply answer or to plan the job and see it through step by step. Long tasks keep running after you close your laptop.
Connectors plug in tools like Google Drive, Notion, Slack or GitHub, and skills store instructions for jobs you repeat, like a report format. Both follow you into every conversation, along with the recurring work and browser abilities that used to belong to Cowork.
Results come back as editable files: reports, spreadsheets with working formulas and slide decks. Two beta apps that arrived with the merge, Claude Docs and Claude Slides, export to PowerPoint or PDF. The merged experience reaches Claude Pro and Claude Max first, with Team and Free plans later.
Strengths
- Turns research into finished reports, spreadsheets and decks
- Keeps working on tasks after you close your laptop
- Connectors and skills follow you into every conversation
- Asks permission before acting in connected apps
- The widest country coverage of the managed agents
Limits
- Does not shop, book or deal with strangers for you
- Will not go looking for work on its own
- The rollout is gradual, so accounts on the same plan may look different
- Heavy users end up on Claude Max at $100/month or $200/month
People who delegate research and writing and want the result as an editable report, spreadsheet or presentation.
Skip it if you want an agent that watches your inbox unprompted, shops for you or lives in your chat apps.
Privacy
Claude asks for permission before it acts in connected apps, and connectors are scoped per workspace. The practical risk is that every connector widens what it can read, so the documents it produces may include material from your connected files. Connect only what a task needs and read the output before you share it.
Plans that include it
| Claude Pro The merged Claude experience with long tasks, connectors and the Docs and Slides beta, which is enough for most people starting out. | $20/mo |
| Claude Max 5x 5x Pro usage per five-hour session and priority access at busy times, for people who hit Pro limits regularly. | $100/mo |
| Claude Max 20x 20x Pro usage per five-hour session with the same features as Max 5x, for full-time agent work. | $200/mo |
Matchups
On the wire
- Claude drops the separate Cowork mode and folds it into chat · September 16, 2026
The best pick when the job ends in a file rather than an action, and the most widely available of the managed agents. Do not expect it to run errands or watch your inbox on its own.
Questions
Is Claude Cowork gone?
The separate Cowork option is gone, but everything it did now works in any Claude chat. Your existing projects, tasks, skills and connectors move over.
Did Claude's price change after the merge?
No. Anthropic announced no price change, so Claude Pro is still $20/month and Claude Max is $100/month or $200/month.
Can Claude keep working when my laptop is closed?
Yes. Once you hand over a task, Claude continues working on it after you close your laptop.
Is Claude available in Europe?
Yes. Claude works in every country where it is offered, including the EU and the UK. It is not available in Russia or mainland China.