Claude vs Claude Code
Same company, same subscription, different jobs. Claude is the chat assistant you use on the web, desktop and phone for writing, research and everyday questions, and it has a free plan. Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent. You hand it a bug fix, a test or a whole feature, and it plans, edits your code, runs tests and can open pull requests. Per Anthropic's pricing page, Claude Code is included in every paid plan (Pro and up) but not in Free.
| Claude | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Great at careful writing and long documents; makes docs, slide decks and small apps right in the chat (Slides and Docs are on every plan, including Free). Pro adds Claude Code; Max includes $100-$200/mo in API credits. | An AI coding agent that builds and edits whole projects for you. |
| Price | Free; Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual); Max from $100/mo | Included with Claude Pro ($20/mo) and Max |
| Free plan | Yes | No (paid plans) |
| Difficulty | Easy | Advanced |
| Price source | Claude pricing | Claude pricing |
| Full review | Claude page | Claude Code page |
Quick verdict
Pick Claude if
- You want help writing, summarizing, researching or planning
- You want to start free (Claude Code is not on the Free plan)
- You want small apps or files made right in the chat (Artifacts)
Pick Claude Code if
- You already have a codebase and want an agent to fix bugs, write tests or build features
- You are comfortable with a terminal or an editor like VS Code or JetBrains
- You already pay for Claude Pro or Max, which include it at no extra cost
Try this prompt
I'm deciding between using the Claude chat app and Claude Code. Here is what I want to build or fix: [describe project]. My experience: [never coded / some coding / developer]. Tell me which one fits, the exact first 3 steps, and what I'd need to install, if anything.
Prices from each tool's official pricing page at our last check (2026-10-22). Plans change often, so confirm before you buy. How we pick →
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Code free?
No. Per Anthropic's pricing page, Claude Code is included with paid plans (Pro is $20/mo, or $17/mo billed annually, and Max starts at $100/mo) but not with the Free plan. You can also run it with a Claude Console account and pay standard API rates.
Do I need a separate subscription for Claude Code?
No. One Claude Pro or Max plan covers both. Anthropic says your chats and your Claude Code work draw from the same usage pool, so heavy coding uses up the same limits.
Can a beginner use Claude Code?
We rate it Advanced because it works inside real code projects from a terminal or code editor. If you have never coded, try a no-code builder like Lovable first, or ask Claude in the normal chat to make a small app as an Artifact.
Where does Claude Code run?
Anthropic lists the terminal (macOS, Linux and Windows), VS Code and JetBrains extensions, the web, the iOS and Android apps, GitHub and Slack.
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