Claude
: How to use it, features, and the business problems it solves

What is Claude

Claude is an AI assistant provided by Anthropic. It handles a wide range of tasks such as writing, summarizing, analysis, and coding, and is known for its long-context understanding and a design that emphasizes safety and reliability. You can use the latest Claude models (Opus / Sonnet / Haiku) as suited to the task, and it comes packed with features for real-world work: Artifacts for generating, editing, and previewing output on the spot, Projects for handling documents together, Claude Code for developers, and MCP for connecting to external tools.

A conversational AI strong at writing, code, and analysis

Claude excels at reading long texts and producing writing and code where accuracy matters. With Artifacts you can generate and edit writing, code, and simple apps on the spot, while Projects keeps documents and knowledge together to preserve context. It also supports web search, file analysis, and memory, handling everything from one-off questions to ongoing work in a consistent way.

How to use it

1. Create an account (free)

   Go to claude.ai and create an account. You can start using it for free.

2. Ask a question or make a request

   Enter what you want to look up or create. Attaching files and web search are also supported.

3. Build with Artifacts

   Generate writing, code, and simple apps on the spot, and edit them while previewing.

4. Keep context with Projects

   Gather related documents and knowledge into a Project and work with consistent context.

5. Extend it

   Connect to development and business tools with Claude Code, app integrations, and MCP.

Features

Key updates in October 2026 (auto mode, Claude Duet, and more)

Of the changes announced between October 21 and 23, 2026 (US time), here are four that affect how you use Claude or how you contract for it (checked against official announcements and help pages as of October 24, 2026).

"Auto" (auto mode) becomes the default for approvals (Pro, Max, Team)

On October 22, 2026 (US time), Claude's official X account announced that starting the following week, sessions across the Claude web, desktop, and mobile apps will run in auto mode by default on Pro, Max, and Team plans. Instead of asking you to approve each step, an automated check blocks only risky actions. The official help article "Get started with Claude Cowork" also explains that, in the new Claude experience, the permission setting in the message box offers "Auto" (default on Pro, Max, and Team) and "Manual" (default on Enterprise), and you can switch at any time.

• Scope: existing connectors and plugins, the built-in browser, Claude in Chrome, and some Cowork actions such as fetching websites. Tools you set to "Blocked" in connector settings are not used in any mode
• Switching back to manual: choose "Manual" from the mode selector in the message box. For work involving money, messages sent as you, or important files, the official help recommends staying close or switching back to "Manual"
• Team and Enterprise: admins decide whether "Auto" is available and whether new tasks start in it. If an admin turns it off, it does not appear in the selector
• Auto mode is already the default in Claude Code, and Anthropic says it used the results of internal testing and third-party red-teaming there to strengthen auto mode across all its products

Claude Duet (research preview; not available in Japan)

Claude Duet is a new app, opened as a research preview on October 21, 2026, in which Claude works as a proactive agent. It is available as a standalone iOS and Android app and on claude.ai. Each morning it sends a short brief on the most important items across your connected apps, and it keeps working while you are away, using its own browser on a virtual machine. It carries over your memory, skills, and connected apps from Claude.

• Availability: it starts with Pro and Max subscribers in the US via a waitlist. As of October 24, 2026, no timing has been announced for Japan
• Pricing: during the research preview it is included in Pro and Max and shares your plan's usage limits with the rest of Claude. Background work, such as checks every few hours, also counts toward those limits
• Approvals: before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, or deletes anything, it shows you what it is about to do and waits for approval. Some actions, such as trading securities or moving money between accounts, are off-limits even with approval. Actions are approved by the same classifier used for auto mode
• Sensitive information: a dedicated classifier rejects requests to share information such as credit card numbers or government ID

The "Anthropic managed" Claude Platform is generally available on Google Cloud (for businesses and developers)

On October 22, 2026, Claude Models on Google Cloud (Anthropic managed) became generally available. With your existing Google Cloud IAM credentials and invoice, you get Claude Platform features (Claude Managed Agents, code execution, the Files API, the MCP connector, prompt caching, and more) on the same day they ship on Anthropic's own platform. Usage draws down your Google Cloud commitment. The existing Google managed offering continues.

As of October 22, 2026, the Anthropic managed offering is available with US and Global endpoints. Customers with existing discounts are asked to contact their Anthropic or Google Cloud account executive before getting started (discounts cannot be applied retroactively).

Claude Security now scans continuously (public beta for Enterprise)

On October 21, 2026, Claude Security, which finds vulnerabilities in code, began scanning repositories continuously as code changes, instead of waiting for someone to start a scan. It is in public beta for Claude Enterprise customers, and admins enable it in the admin console.

• Continuous scanning: connect repositories on GitHub (including GitHub Enterprise Server), GitLab, and others; after a deep baseline scan, it regularly scans changes based on their risk and complexity
• Fix tracking: findings are marked fixed when the fix lands, and reopen automatically if the issue is found again
• Integrations: an API and webhooks, plus an MCP connector in claude.ai and Claude Code. Role-based access controls were also added
• Free credits: organizations receive $25,000 in free usage credits each month for two months (for usage through December 31, 2026)

Pricing

It is free to use, and higher-tier plans expand your usage and access to more capable models (amounts shown are in US dollars, excluding tax, as of November 2026). The higher individual plans are Max ($100/month) and Ultra ($200/month), renamed from "Max 5x" and "Max 20x" on October 30, 2026.

An Enterprise plan is also available ($20 per seat/month, billed annually, plus usage at API rates).

Max 20x becomes "Ultra" and Max 5x becomes "Max" (October 30, 2026)

On October 30, 2026 (US time), Anthropic renamed its higher individual plans on its official X account. Max 5x is now "Max" and Max 20x is now "Ultra", and prices stay the same: $100/month for Max and $200/month for Ultra. Current subscribers don't need to do anything; Max 20x subscriptions move to Ultra automatically (official help article "What is the Ultra plan?").

• No 5-hour limit on Ultra: verified accounts no longer have a 5-hour usage limit and can work at their own pace within the weekly limit. Weekly usage is 10x Pro, and there is a separate weekly limit for Fable in addition to the weekly limit across all models
• Verification is automatic: to prevent fraud and abuse, accounts are verified automatically based on factors such as account and payment history. A temporary limit applies until verification is complete and is removed automatically (verifying your phone number at checkout is a separate step). If you don't see a "Current session" bar in Settings > Usage, your account is verified
• Max gives 5x Pro every 5 hours and every week: as with the former Max 5x, the 5-hour limit still applies
• Billing: Max and Ultra are monthly only. $100 and $200 are web subscription prices; prices may differ when you subscribe through the iOS or Android app. The official pricing page does not show prices in Japanese yen

Monthly API credits on Max, Ultra, and Team

Starting October 7, 2026, Max (now Max and Ultra) and Team subscribers receive monthly credits for the Claude API (Free, Pro, and Enterprise are not eligible). The amounts are $100 for Max and $200 for Ultra.

• What they cover: the Claude API (Messages API and Message Batches API), the Playground in the Claude Console, Claude Managed Agents, and the Claude Agent SDK. claude -p and the Agent SDK are covered only when you run them with an API key from your linked Console organization
• What they don't cover: interactive Claude Code (terminal, IDE, desktop, web) and usage via Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, or Microsoft Foundry
• How to claim: on claude.ai, open Settings > Billing (Team Owners: Organization settings > Billing), and in the "API credits" section choose "Link organization" to link a Claude Console organization. You can claim after seven days on the plan
• Expiry: unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle and do not roll over
• Team: per-seat amounts are pooled into one balance capped at $500, claimed once by the owner

The API price of Claude Haiku 5.5, the small model announced the same day, is $0.10 input / $0.50 output per million tokens for prompts up to 100,000 tokens — one tenth of Haiku 4.5 ($1 / $5).

How it differs from other AI assistants

Claude is chosen for "the quality of its writing, code, and analysis, along with safety and reliability." Like ChatGPT and Gemini, it is a high-performance conversational AI, but it has a strong reputation for careful, accurate writing and for its usability in development and analysis.

If you're choosing based on breadth of features, image generation, or agents, ChatGPT is a comparison point; for integration with Google services, Gemini is worth comparing.

The information on this page is based on what was published on the official website as of November 2026. Please check the official website for the latest specifications and pricing.