Claude Code
Work with files, code, or data on your machine — and you're comfortable in a terminal.
01 · The One-Line Version
Pick by the single line that matches your situation.
Claude.ai
Think, draft, research, or collaborate — from any device, no setup required.
Cowork
Automate file and task workflows on your desktop — no coding or terminal needed.
02 · Quick Decision Table
Filter by tool to see which tasks it's built for.
Click a tool to narrow the table. Click again to clear.
| Task | Code | Claude.ai | Cowork |
|---|
03 · Tool Deep-Dives
What each tool is actually good at.
Switch between tools to compare strengths, limitations, and when to start here.
Claude Code
A CLI tool that gives Claude direct access to your local environment — files, shell, and code. Runs in your terminal. Designed for developers and technical users.
Best for
- Reading, writing, and editing files across a project
- Understanding and modifying a codebase (any language)
- Running scripts to process or analyse data
- Long multi-step tasks: investigate → write → repeat
- Automating repetitive technical workflows
- Tasks where the answer is in the files — logs, configs, spreadsheets
Limitations
- Requires terminal comfort; not suited for non-technical users
- Output lives in your terminal or local files — not easily shareable in real time
- No built-in web UI for collaboration
Do NOT use when
- You just have a quick one-liner question
- You need to share results with a colleague instantly
- You're away from your development machine
Start here when you open your terminal and the task involves anything on disk or in a repo.
Claude.ai
The web and mobile chat interface. Runs in a browser or app — no installation. Brings Claude's reasoning, writing, and research to any device.
Best for
- Quick questions and one-off analysis (paste or upload)
- Drafting and iterating on documents, emails, reports
- Research — summarising, explaining, comparing options
- Brainstorming and working through problems conversationally
- Sharing work — Projects are accessible to the whole team
- Access when you're not at your development machine
Limitations
- No direct filesystem access — must paste or upload content
- Can't execute code against your local environment
- Weaker than Claude Code for navigating many files
Do NOT use when
- The task requires reading dozens of local files
- You need to run scripts or execute code
- The answer requires iterating against a live codebase
Start here when you have a question, need a draft, or want to think something through — and you don't need to touch files programmatically.
Cowork
An Anthropic desktop app for non-developers. Focuses on file management and task automation on your local machine — no terminal, no code. Currently in beta.
Best for
- Automating repetitive local file tasks (renaming, organising, processing)
- Team members who need AI-assisted file work without the command line
- Workflows involving everyday files — Word docs, PDFs, folders
Limitations
- Not code-aware — can't reason about source files or structured data like Claude Code
- Not a substitute for Claude Code on analytical or engineering tasks
- Narrower capability range than the other two tools
Do NOT use when
- The task involves analysing code or structured data
- You need research, drafting, or team collaboration features
Start here when you need to automate something on your desktop and opening a terminal is not an option.
04 · How They Work Together
The tools complement each other — chain them.
The best workflows often chain them — use each where it excels.
Claude Code → Claude.ai
Use Claude Code to do the heavy lifting against local files, then bring the output into Claude.ai to refine, rewrite for an audience, or share with colleagues.
Example. Claude Code analyses data and writes a report draft → paste it into Claude.ai to adjust the tone and sharpen the narrative before sending.
Claude.ai → Claude Code
Use Claude.ai to quickly scope a problem or think through an approach, then hand the well-defined task to Claude Code to execute against your actual files.
Example. Discuss an approach in Claude.ai → Claude Code implements it in the codebase.
05 · Choosing by Role
Start from who you are.
| You are… | Reach for… |
|---|---|
| A developer working in a repo | Claude Code first; Claude.ai for drafts and research |
| A PM or analyst with data files to process | Claude Code for the data work; Claude.ai for the write-up |
| A non-technical team member | Claude.ai for Q&A and drafts; Cowork for file automation |
| On your phone or away from your machine | Claude.ai |
| Doing something a colleague needs to review | Claude.ai — shareable Projects and conversations |
| Automating local file tasks without the terminal | Cowork |