Modelpeers
ChatGPT Work charactervsClaude Cowork character

ChatGPT Work vs Claude Cowork: Which agent should do your office work?

Facts checked Oct 22, 2026. Every number links to its source.

Summary

Derived from sourced facts, not from builder opinions
  • Both take a goal, work across your files and connected apps, return a deck, spreadsheet or report for review, and run scheduled tasks.
  • ChatGPT Work is on every ChatGPT plan, with Free and Go limited to GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app. Claude Cowork needs a paid plan from $20 a month.
  • ChatGPT Work shares its usage limits with Codex. Claude Cowork uses your Claude plan limits faster than chat does.
  • Since September 16, 2026, Cowork and the regular Claude chat are becoming one app, starting with Pro and Max.

Choose ChatGPT Work if

  • You want to try an office agent free or at $8 a month.
  • You want OpenAI's GPT-6 models.
  • You want published usage ranges per model.

Choose Claude Cowork if

  • You already pay for Claude Pro, Max or Team.
  • You want to hand over bigger tasks in the same conversation, without picking a mode.
  • Your company runs Claude through Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry or Google's agent platform.
ChatGPT Work
Claude Cowork

Follow both to get an email when either one changes its price, limits or behavior.

Best by task

Access on a free plan

ChatGPT Work

ChatGPT Free and Go include Work with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, still rolling out. Cowork works with a paid Claude plan only.

Published usage limits

ChatGPT Work

Work shares Codex's published ranges (Plus: 15-160 messages per 5 hours with GPT-6.1 Sol). Cowork publishes no per-plan numbers.

Running through your own cloud provider

Claude Cowork

Cowork can run through Amazon Bedrock, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry. Work runs in ChatGPT.

Plans

ChatGPT Work plans

Free
Free

GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, rolling out

Go
$8/month

GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, rolling out

Plus
$20/month

GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna · limits shared with Codex

Pro
$100/month

Plans at $100, $200 or $500 · no five-hour limit

Business
$25/month

Per user monthly · $20 billed annually

Claude Cowork plans

Pro
$20/month

Cowork included · $17/month billed annually

Max 5x
$100/month

More Cowork usage for longer tasks

Max 20x
$200/month

The most Cowork usage

Team
$20/month

Per seat billed annually, $25 billed monthly · teams of 2 to 150

Subscription agents are priced per seat with usage limits, so this compares plans rather than dividing a subscription by a guessed number of tasks.

Side by side

ChatGPT WorkClaude Cowork
MakerOpenAI
Anthropic
What it doesTakes a task with a clear outcome and returns a deck, spreadsheet, analysis, recurring update or file for review
Works in the folders and tools you choose and returns finished work, such as decks, spreadsheets and research, for review
PlansIncluded in ChatGPT Free and Go (GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, rolling out), Plus $20, Pro $100 to $500, Business, Enterprise and Edu
Paid plans only · Pro $20/month ($17 annual) · Max 5x $100 · Max 20x $200 · Team $20/seat · Enterprise by sales
Usage limitsShared with Codex · Plus and Standard Business local messages per 5 hours: GPT-6.1 Sol 15-160, GPT-6 Luna 350-3,000 · Pro has no 5-hour limit
Uses Claude plan limits, faster than chat · no published per-plan numbers
ModelsGPT-6.1 Sol on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu · GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna
Not published
Where it runsYour computer through the desktop app (local files, apps and browser) or OpenAI's cloud, which keeps scheduled tasks running while your computer sleeps
Not published
Connected appsPlugins for Slack, Google Drive, SharePoint, email, calendars, CRM systems and project trackers
Not published
Merged into Claude chatNot publishedSince 2026-09-16 Cowork and chat are one Claude, rolling out to Pro and Max first, Team and Free later
PlatformsNot publishedDesktop app (local folders and apps), web and mobile · scheduled tasks keep running with the laptop closed
Built-in browserNot publishedOpens sites and fills forms in a browser inside Cowork, on the desktop app for Pro, Max and Team
Cloud providersNot publishedCan run through Amazon Bedrock, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry

Scores appear side by side only when both were published for the same test. Settings differ between sources, so small gaps can reverse under another harness.

Updates

ChatGPT Work

11 recorded incidents in the last 90 days.

Now available

GPT-6.1 Terra arrives in ChatGPT Work and Codex

GPT-6.1 Terra is available in ChatGPT Work and Codex on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans. It is not available in Chat and does not support UAE inference residency.

Who is affected:
Users of Codex and ChatGPT Work on paid plans can now pick a fast model with strong image understanding and computer use.
What to do:
Choose GPT-6.1 Terra from the model list in Advanced in the ChatGPT desktop app or in ChatGPT Work on the web.

Claude Cowork

29 recorded incidents in the last 90 days.

Switching checklist

  1. Check your plan: Cowork needs a paid Claude plan, from Pro at $20 a month.
  2. Install the Claude desktop app if tasks need your local folders and apps.
  3. Export your ChatGPT data under Settings, Data controls, Export data. The link arrives by email within 7 days and expires 24 hours after it arrives.
  4. Bring your ChatGPT memory into Claude with its memory import under Settings, Memory.
  5. Recreate each ChatGPT project as a Cowork project: start from scratch, import a Claude project, or point it at an existing folder.
  6. Set up each recurring task again in its Cowork project, which can hold its own scheduled tasks.
  7. Reconnect the apps your ChatGPT plugins used, such as Slack and Google Drive, as Claude connectors.
  8. Pick one real recurring task, such as a weekly report, and run it in both before you switch.

FAQ

Is ChatGPT Work free?

Yes, on Free and Go it runs with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, still rolling out. Plus and higher plans add GPT-6.1 Sol.

Is Claude Cowork free?

No. Cowork works with a paid Claude plan: Pro at $20 a month ($17 billed annually), Max at $100 or $200, or Team.

What happened to Claude Cowork?

On September 16, 2026, Anthropic began merging Cowork and chat into one Claude, rolling out to Pro and Max first. Your chats, projects, artifacts, connectors and skills stay where you left them.

Does ChatGPT Work use my Codex limits?

Yes. ChatGPT Work and Codex share usage, pricing and credits.

Can Claude Cowork run tasks while my computer is off?

Yes. Scheduled tasks keep running with the laptop closed.

Can ChatGPT Work run tasks while my computer sleeps?

Yes, in cloud Work. Tasks that need local files need the computer on and the app running.

Which apps can ChatGPT Work connect to?

Plugins for Slack, Google Drive, SharePoint, email, calendars, CRM systems and project trackers.

Related comparisons

ChatGPT Work pageClaude Cowork page

Sources and method

Prices, specs and limits come from each maker's own pages. Benchmark scores come from independent benchmark publishers and the makers' announcements, with the setting each was measured in. Changes come from changelogs, deprecation pages and status pages. The summary is written from these facts only.