You started with Claude in a browser tab. Then the names piled up: the desktop app, Cowork, Claude Code, Routines, scheduled tasks. They sound like the same thing wearing different hats, and choosing between them feels like a quiz you did not study for. They do different jobs, and the differences are simple once someone lays them side by side. This guide does that. By the end you will know which one to open for a given task, and why. Knowing which tool fits which job is part of what The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency measures: a plain scale for where you stand with AI, from just getting started to running it across your work.
Every product detail below is from Anthropic's own documentation, checked the day this was written.
The places you can reach Claude
Claude shows up in a few different forms, and they share one account, so your work follows you across them.
- Web: Claude in your browser at claude.ai. Nothing to install; you sign in.
- Mobile app: for iPhone and Android. The same Claude in your pocket.
- Desktop app: for Mac and Windows. The fullest version, and the home of the parts people get confused about.
- Claude Code: a more technical way to put Claude to work directly with files and commands, available as a tab in the desktop app and as its own tool.
The first three are the same Claude in different wrappers. The desktop app is where the extra power lives, so that is where this guide spends its time.
Three modes inside the desktop app
Open the desktop app and you see three tabs: Chat, Cowork, and Code.
- Chat is the back-and-forth you already know from the browser. You ask, Claude answers.
- Cowork is an agent that completes multi-step work for you. Anthropic's description: "Describe the outcome and cadence, and it takes action and keeps you informed."
- Code is a coding assistant for building software, and the most technical of the three.
The browser gives you Chat. The desktop app adds Cowork and Code on top.
Cowork and Code both do the work. Here is how they split.
Chat talks you through a task. Cowork and Code do the task for you. The split between those two comes down to what kind of work you have.
Reach for Cowork when the job is general office work: sorting and renaming files, turning a stack of receipts into a spreadsheet, building a report from a template, checking email on a cadence. It can open apps and work across your browser to finish a job, then show you the result.
Reach for Code when the job touches software. Anthropic describes it as "an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands."
Both run on the same agent engine. And you do not have to be a developer to open Code; people who have never written a line of code build working tools with it by describing what they want in plain language. Code is the deep end of the pool, open to anyone willing to wade in.
The part that trips everyone up: where the work runs
Here is the distinction that confuses even people who work in AI for a living. When Claude does a job for you, where does that job run? There are two answers, and they behave very differently.
Local means the work runs on your own computer. Cowork is local. Its commands run inside an isolated virtual machine on your machine, kept separate from your main system. That design has one consequence worth holding onto: the desktop app has to stay open and your computer has to stay awake while a task runs. Anthropic says it plainly: "The Claude Desktop app must remain open while Claude is working. If you close the app, your session will end." Even a Cowork scheduled task, set to run on a cadence, follows this rule. The work happens on your machine, so your machine has to be on.
Cloud means the work runs on Anthropic's servers. This is what Routines are. In Anthropic's words, "Routines execute on Anthropic-managed cloud infrastructure, so they keep working when your laptop is closed." A Routine can run on a schedule, fire from an API call, or react to a GitHub event, all with your computer off. Routines are part of Claude Code, currently in research preview.
One screen causes the mix-up. In the desktop app, Routines, then New routine, asks you to pick Remote or Local. Remote is the cloud kind that runs with your machine off. Local creates a desktop scheduled task that runs on your own computer, the same machine-on behavior as Cowork. Same button, two very different homes for the work.
Which one should I use?
The short version, in one table. The question that sorts almost every case is the last column: does your computer need to be on?
| Surface | Best for | Runs where | Computer on? | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web / browser | Quick questions, anywhere | Cloud | No | Free and up |
| Mobile app | Chat on the go | Cloud | No | Free and up |
| Desktop: Chat | Everyday back-and-forth | Cloud | No | Free and up |
| Desktop: Cowork | Hand off multi-step office work | Your computer | Yes, app open | Pro and up |
| Desktop: Code | Building software and tools | Your computer | Yes, app open | Pro and up |
| Routine (Remote) | Scheduled or triggered jobs, unattended | Cloud | No | Pro and up |
| Scheduled task (Local) | Scheduled jobs that need your local files | Your computer | Yes, app open | Pro and up |
Cowork Projects, briefly
If you use Cowork for more than one ongoing thing, Projects keep them apart. A Project is a workspace with its own files, context, instructions, and memory, so a client engagement and a personal side task do not bleed into each other. You can set global instructions once for all of Cowork, and folder instructions for a specific set of files.
Still unsure? Let Claude route you
When a job is on your plate and you cannot tell which surface fits, paste this into Chat and let Claude make the call.
I use Claude and I'm trying to pick the right tool for a task. The task is: [describe it in a sentence]. Walk me through whether I should use plain Chat, Cowork, Claude Code, or a scheduled Routine. Tell me whether the work would run on my own computer (so it has to be on) or in the cloud (so it runs with my computer off). Keep it to a short recommendation with one reason.
You get a single clear answer with the reasoning, instead of guessing from a tab name.
A cheat sheet to keep
The companion below is a one-page version of the same comparison: every Claude surface, what it is for, where it runs, and whether your computer needs to be on. Save it or print it for the next time the names blur together.
Claude Surfaces Cheat Sheet
A one-page reference you can print or save. No signup.
Common mix-ups to skip
Three places people get turned around, and how to step past each.
Expecting Cowork to run in the cloud
Cowork runs on your own computer, so closing the lid stops the task. For a job that should run while you are away from the desk, use a Remote Routine, which runs on Anthropic's servers with your machine off.
Treating Claude Code as developers-only
Code is the most technical surface, and it is also how people who do not code build small tools by describing them in plain words. Fluency with AI is what opens the door, no job title required.
Assuming a Cowork scheduled task equals a Routine
Both run on a cadence. One runs on your machine and needs the computer on; the other runs in the cloud and does not. Pick by whether your computer will be awake when the job should fire.
Where this fits in the bigger picture
Knowing the names is a small thing. Knowing which tool to reach for, and trusting Claude to carry more of the job, is the larger skill underneath. A browser chat and a cloud Routine sit at opposite ends of that climb: one answers a question while you wait, the other runs work for you while you are nowhere near the desk.
That climb is the through-line of The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency, where each level is less about which app you opened and more about how much of your work the tool now carries. A guide like this one gets you oriented. If you want to see where you stand and what your next step looks like, the free 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment takes about ten minutes and gives you a map instead of a guess.
Related reading: Getting Started with the Claude App, the install-and-first-task guide that pairs with this one.
Sources
- Claude desktop quickstart (Chat, Cowork, Code). Anthropic. Accessed June 7, 2026.
- Get started with Claude Cowork. Anthropic Support. Accessed June 7, 2026.
- Claude Cowork product page. Anthropic. Accessed June 7, 2026.
- Automate work with routines. Anthropic. Accessed June 7, 2026.
- Desktop scheduled tasks. Anthropic. Accessed June 7, 2026.
- Claude Code overview. Anthropic. Accessed June 7, 2026.
- Claude pricing. Anthropic. Accessed June 7, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Cowork and Claude Code?
Both are agents in the desktop app that do work for you. Cowork handles general multi-step office work like files, spreadsheets, and reports. Code works with software: codebases, files, and commands. They run on the same engine, and neither requires you to be a developer, though Code is the more technical of the two.
Does Cowork run in the cloud?
No. Cowork runs on your own computer inside an isolated virtual machine, so the desktop app must stay open and your computer awake while a task runs. For work that should run with your computer off, use a Remote Routine, which runs on Anthropic's cloud.
What is the difference between a Cowork scheduled task and a Routine?
Both run on a cadence. A Cowork scheduled task runs on your own machine, so the computer has to be on. A Routine set to Remote runs on Anthropic's cloud and keeps working when your laptop is closed.
Do I need Claude Code if I am not a developer?
No. Start with Chat and Cowork. Code is the most technical surface, and people who do not code use it to build small tools by describing what they want. It is where you go as your fluency with AI grows.
Which plan do I need for Cowork and Routines?
Chat is on the free plan. Cowork, Claude Code, and Routines are on the paid plans: Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise.
Where do I manage Routines?
At claude.ai/code/routines on the web, from the Desktop app under Routines, or with the /schedule command in the Claude Code CLI. All three write to the same cloud account, so a routine you create in one shows up in the others.
Find your AI Proficiency level
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