Claude

Claude is Anthropic’s assistant, and the model to reach for when a task requires reading a lot before acting: a fifty-page document, an entire codebase as context. It holds the structural relationships in that material better, rather than just responding to your last sentence.

Its prose is restrained — less of the instantly recognisable AI cadence. Code is its strongest area, particularly edits inside an existing codebase: it follows the conventions already there instead of rewriting things its own way and handing you a “textbook” answer.

The limitation is breadth. No image generation, weaker web search than ChatGPT or Gemini, and a much thinner third-party ecosystem than ChatGPT’s. It is a very capable single model rather than a do-everything platform.

Key features

• Long-document understanding: Upload several long documents or large chunks of code at once and ask questions that span chapters or files.
• Writing and editing code: Reads existing code and modifies or extends it in the same style; also good at explaining errors.
• Artifacts: Generated code, web pages and documents appear in a side panel where you can preview them and iterate.
• Projects: Keep related files and standing instructions in one project so every conversation inside it can draw on them.
• Writing and editing prose: Strong at rewriting to a given tone, condensing and polishing without slipping into template phrasing.

How to use

1. Go to claude.ai, or install the official desktop or mobile app.
2. Sign up with an email address or a Google account.
3. Ask directly, or drag documents and code files into the input box before describing what you need.
4. For ongoing work, create a Project, upload background material and write standing instructions.
5. Developers who want it working inside a local codebase can also look at Anthropic’s command-line tool, Claude Code.

Best for

• Long-document analysis: contracts, papers and reports where the answer depends on reading the whole thing.
• Changing code in an existing project: it respects local conventions, so its edits are easier to merge.
• Writing that needs a restrained voice: emails, documentation, formal copy — fewer rounds of revision.
• Structuring messy material: turning scattered notes or meeting transcripts into a clean outline or table.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

• Keeps track of information and structure across long contexts.
• Code edits fit the existing style rather than starting over.
• Natural, restrained prose with little AI cadence.

Limitations

• No image generation; its multimodal ability is about reading images, not making them.
• Web search is weaker than ChatGPT’s or Gemini’s, and the plugin ecosystem is thin.
• The free tier’s limits are tight; heavy use hits the ceiling quickly.
• Mainland China is not a supported region — the site redirects to an unavailable notice.