Use Claude Code when the work lives in a code repository: it edits files across a codebase, runs your tests and commands, and opens pull requests, from the terminal, your IDE, the desktop app's Code tab or the web. Use Cowork when the output is a document, spreadsheet, deck or a task across your apps: Anthropic built it for non-coding knowledge work, on the same agentic architecture as Claude Code but with no terminal. Both come with paid Claude plans, and since September 16, 2026, Cowork is merging into the main Claude app, so you reach it from the same message box as chat.
Cowork and Claude Code at a glance
As of October 2026, from Anthropic's product pages, help center and Claude Code docs.
| Cowork | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Knowledge work: research, analysis, documents, spreadsheets, slides | Software: features, bug fixes, tests, refactors, pull requests |
| Where you use it | Claude app on desktop, web and mobile; Claude in Chrome side panel | Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app (Code tab), web, mobile app, Slack |
| Plans | Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise | Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, or an API key |
| Where tasks run | In the cloud on Pro and Max; local files, browser and computer use need the desktop app open | On your machine, or in the cloud on claude.ai/code |
| Works with | Folders you connect, connectors, built-in browser, computer use (research preview) | Your repository, shell commands, git, MCP servers |
| Approvals | Manual (default), Auto, or Skip | Auto (default in recent versions), Manual, accept edits, plan, or bypass |
| Extensions | Plugins, skills, connectors, sub-agents | Plugins, skills, MCP, subagents, hooks |
| Scheduling | Scheduled tasks in the cloud, on demand or on a cadence | Routines in the cloud, desktop scheduled tasks, /loop |
| Typical output | A finished file or deliverable | A commit, branch or pull request |
Same engine, different job
Anthropic's help center puts it plainly: Cowork uses "the same agentic architecture that powers Claude Code, with no terminal required." Both plan a multi-step task, split it into subtasks, call tools, and check their own work. What differs is the toolset around the loop.
Claude Code's tools are a developer's: it reads and edits source files, runs shell commands and test suites, works with git, and talks to services through MCP servers. It reads CLAUDE.md for project rules and can run hooks on 33 lifecycle events, so you can, for example, run the linter after every edit or block writes to .env.
Cowork's tools are an office worker's: files in folders you connect, connectors to apps like Google Drive or Slack, a built-in browser that is separate from yours, and, in research preview, the ability to use your computer's apps. It produces spreadsheets with working formulas, slide decks and formatted documents. Since September 16, 2026, Claude Docs and Claude Slides (both in beta on paid plans) let you edit and present those outputs inside Claude.
How tasks run: your computer or the cloud
Cowork moved to the cloud in October 2026. On Pro and Max, new Cowork tasks run on Anthropic's servers and follow your account across desktop, web and mobile, so a task keeps going after you close your laptop. Anything that needs your machine (local files, local connectors, browser use, computer use) still needs the desktop app open on that computer. On Team, Cowork on web and mobile is in beta; on Enterprise, an admin turns it on.
Claude Code gives you the choice per session. Run claude in a folder and it works on your machine with your tools. Start a session on claude.ai/code or in the mobile app and it runs in a cloud container against a GitHub repository, and you can pull it back to your terminal with claude --teleport.
Extending each one
The extension models overlap more than they differ. In both, skills package know-how, connectors or MCP servers reach external apps, and plugins bundle all of it into one install. Anthropic says a plugin made for Cowork also works in chat and Claude Code, so a team can write a skill once (say, how to build the monthly board report) and use it in either.
Claude Code adds hooks and subagent definitions you control in files, which matter for software work where some steps must happen every time. See Claude Code agent teams for how it runs several agents in parallel.
Scheduling
Both can work on a schedule without you:
- Cowork scheduled tasks run daily, weekly or monthly in the cloud, for example a Monday summary of last week's sales spreadsheet.
- Claude Code routines run in Anthropic's cloud on a schedule (hourly at most), from an HTTP call, or on a GitHub pull request or release, for example a nightly review of open PRs. Desktop scheduled tasks run on your own machine, and
/looprepeats a prompt inside a session.
Usage and approvals
Both draw on your Claude plan. Anthropic notes that Cowork uses your limits faster than chat, and that its Auto mode uses even more, so long research tasks add up. Claude Code usage is metered the same way, in five-hour windows plus weekly limits on paid plans.
The approval models look alike. Cowork's default is Manual (you allow or deny each action); Auto lets Claude keep working while a safety check reviews each action; Skip runs with no checks. Claude Code works much the same way: since version 2.1.283, interactive terminal and VS Code sessions start in auto mode, where a second model reviews actions instead of you, and Manual mode asks before most edits and commands. The --dangerously-skip-permissions flag skips permission prompts altogether, apart from a few protected actions; our skip permissions guide covers what it does and doesn't skip.
Which to choose
- Fix a bug, add a feature, write tests, open a PR: Claude Code.
- Turn a folder of PDFs into a comparison spreadsheet: Cowork.
- Research competitors and draft a slide deck: Cowork.
- Upgrade dependencies across three repositories overnight: Claude Code, as a routine or cloud session.
- Fill in a web form or work inside a desktop app: Cowork, with browser or computer use.
- Not sure whether a question needs a task at all: start in the Claude app; see Claude chat vs Cowork and Claude vs Claude Code.
Questions
Is Cowork just Claude Code without the terminal?
Close. Anthropic describes Cowork as using the same agentic architecture as Claude Code, with no terminal required, aimed at knowledge work such as research, documents and spreadsheets rather than software in a repository.
Do Cowork and Claude Code cost extra?
No. Both are included in paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise) and count against that plan's usage limits. Neither is in the free plan.
Can a plugin work in both Cowork and Claude Code?
Yes. Anthropic's Cowork guide says plugins bundle skills, connectors and sub-agents into one package that also works in chat and Claude Code.
Can Cowork edit code?
It can read and write files in folders you connect, so it can touch code, but it has no terminal workflow, git integration or test loop. For changes to a codebase, Claude Code is the right tool.
Does Cowork keep working when my laptop is closed?
On Pro and Max, yes: since October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks run in the cloud. Tasks that need local files, the built-in browser or computer use still need the desktop app open.