Which Tool Should I Use?
Claude comes in several forms. Here's how to pick the right one for what you want to do.
claude.ai
Chat in your browser
- Best for
- Quick questions, writing, brainstorming, file uploads
- Audience
- Everyone
- Plan
- Free or paid
- How to access
- Go to claude.ai — no install needed
Key features
- Conversational chat
- File uploads (PDF, images, spreadsheets)
- Web search
- Artifacts (code, documents, diagrams)
- Project organization
Claude Cowork
Autonomous desktop assistant
- Best for
- Multi-step tasks, data analysis, document processing, working with local files
- Audience
- Knowledge workers, analysts, researchers
- How to access
- Download the Claude Desktop app (Pro or Max plan required)
Key features
- Reads files on your computer
- Works in the background
- Multi-step autonomous tasks
- Creates charts and visualizations
- Exports PDFs and reports
Claude Code
AI coding in your terminal
- Best for
- Writing code, debugging, refactoring, building features
- Audience
- Developers
- How to access
- Install Claude Code
Key features
- Understands your full codebase
- Edits files directly
- Runs commands and tests
- Git operations
- Works with any language or framework
Quick decision guide
- I want to ask a quick question or chat → use claude.ai
- I have a spreadsheet or document to analyze → use Claude Cowork
- I need to write or edit a long document → use Claude Cowork or claude.ai
- I need to research a complex topic → use Claude Cowork
- I want to build or modify software → use Claude Code
New to Claude? Set up your account first