42 42. The Claude Product Family
“Claude” is the name of an AI model, a chat app, a coding tool, and a developer platform. This page is a map of all of them: what each piece is, where it runs, and who it is for. Later pages cover the pieces this course uses most, especially Claude Code.
42.1 One name, four meanings
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Models overview · What interfaces can I use to access Claude?
When someone says “Claude”, they can mean four different things:
| Someone says… | They mean… |
|---|---|
| “Opus is smarter than Haiku.” | Claude the model: the AI itself, a family of large language models made by the company Anthropic (see Claude Models, Plans, and Usage Limits). |
| “I asked Claude to summarize my notes.” | The Claude apps: the chat website claude.ai and the desktop and mobile apps. |
| “Claude Code fixed my bug.” | Claude Code: Anthropic’s coding agent, which reads your project, edits files, and runs commands. It is this course’s main tool. |
| “Our app calls Claude.” | The Claude API: a way for programs to send requests to Claude and pay for each use. |
Think of the model as an engine and the rest as vehicles built around it. Each vehicle adds its own controls and tools, so the same model can act differently in each (see How Claude Code Works).
42.2 The map at a glance
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Claude plans and pricing · Platforms and integrations
| Product | What it is | Where you use it | Who it’s for | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| claude.ai | Chat with Claude, hand it tasks, get files back | Web browser | Everyone | All, including Free |
| Claude Desktop | Installed version of claude.ai, plus access to your files and a Code tab | Installed app (Mac, Windows; Linux in beta) | Everyone | All (Code tab: paid) |
| Claude mobile | Chat, voice, and checking on tasks from your phone | Installed app (iOS, Android) | Everyone | All |
| Claude in Chrome | Browser extension that reads and acts on web pages | Installed in Chrome | Anyone who works on the web | Paid |
| Claude for Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace | Claude in a sidebar inside Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook / Google Docs, Sheets, Slides | Inside another app | Office work | Paid |
| Claude Tag | @Claude as a shared teammate in Slack channels |
Inside Slack (the work runs in the cloud) | Teams | Team, Enterprise |
| Claude Code | Coding agent | Terminal, code editor, Desktop app, browser, or phone | Developers (and you) | Paid, or pay per use |
| Claude Developer Platform | API, Console, SDKs, Agent SDK, Managed Agents | Your own programs | Developers building products | Pay per use |
“Paid” means the Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan. The plans are compared on the next page.
42.3 The Claude apps: web, desktop, and mobile
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Install Claude Desktop · Claude Cowork and chat are one Claude
- claude.ai works in any browser, on every plan including Free.
- Claude Desktop is the installed app for Mac and Windows (Linux is in beta). Besides chat, it can work with folders on your computer, connect to local tools, and has a Code tab that runs Claude Code with buttons and panels instead of a terminal (paid plans).
- Claude mobile (iPhone and Android) offers chat, spoken conversations (voice mode, in beta), and a way to check on longer tasks. Its Code tab connects to Claude Code sessions (see Claude Code Beyond the Terminal).
42.3.1 Cowork is becoming plain “Claude” (rolling out)
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Claude Cowork and chat are one Claude · Cowork is now Claude
Cowork was a separate mode for handing Claude a longer, multi-step job, such as research, a report, a spreadsheet, or a slide deck. It is built on the same technology as Claude Code, but for work that isn’t coding. On September 16, 2026, Anthropic started merging chat and Cowork into one conversation: you just ask, and Claude decides whether you need a quick answer or a longer task that keeps running in the cloud after you close your laptop.
The change is rolling out in stages, starting with Pro and Max. If your message box still shows separate “Chat” and “Cowork” options, you have the older experience. Either way, the Desktop Code tab stays where it was.
42.4 Features inside the apps
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: What are projects? · What are artifacts? · What are skills?
| Feature | In one sentence |
|---|---|
| Projects | A workspace that keeps related chats together with uploaded files and standing instructions (Free plan: up to 5 projects). |
| Artifacts | Something Claude makes that you would show to someone, such as a document, deck, design, dashboard, or small interactive tool; it opens beside the chat, and you can share it by link. |
| Claude Design, Slides, Docs | Artifact templates (beta, paid plans) for designs and mockups, presentations (export to PowerPoint or PDF), and “living documents” that you edit together with Claude and your teammates. |
| Memory | Claude remembers useful context across chats; you can view and edit what it remembers in Settings. |
| Connectors | Links to apps such as Google Drive, Gmail, or GitHub, built on the open Model Context Protocol (MCP) (see MCP Servers). |
| Skills | Folders of instructions that teach Claude a repeatable task; Claude loads a skill only when it’s relevant (see Skills). |
| Research | A research agent that runs many web searches and writes a report with sources (paid plans). |
42.5 Claude inside other apps
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Get started with Claude in Chrome · Claude for Microsoft 365 · Claude in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides · What is Claude Tag?
- Claude in Chrome: a Chrome extension with a side panel. Claude reads the page you’re on and can click, type, and fill in forms. Paid plans (the side panel is in beta). Anthropic warns about prompt injection: a web page can hide instructions aimed at Claude (see Limits, Risks, and Responsible Use).
- Claude for Microsoft 365: add-ins for Excel, PowerPoint, and Word (generally available on paid plans) and Outlook (beta). Claude works directly in the open workbook, deck, document, or inbox.
- Claude for Google Workspace: the same idea for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides (beta, paid plans). This is different from the Google Drive connector, which lets claude.ai search your Drive while you chat.
- Claude Tag: tag
@Claudein a Slack channel, and it does the work in the open as your organization’s shared teammate, for coding and non-coding tasks. Team and Enterprise plans (beta); channel work is billed to the organization.
42.6 Claude Code: one agent, many places
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Claude Code overview · Platforms and integrations
Claude Code is an agent: you describe a goal, and it reads your files, edits code, runs commands, and checks the result. Its permission mode decides which actions need your approval first (see Permissions, Modes, and Safety). It is included in every paid plan (not Free), and you can also pay for it per use with a developer (Console) account. The same engine runs in several places:
- Terminal (CLI): the
claudecommand. It is the most complete version and the one this course uses (see Installing Claude Code). - Code editors: extensions for VS Code (and editors built on it, such as Cursor) and for JetBrains editors such as PyCharm (the JetBrains plugin is still labeled beta).
- Desktop app: the Code tab.
- Cloud: sessions started at claude.ai/code run on Anthropic’s computers and keep going after you disconnect.
- Phone: the mobile app’s Code tab, which can also steer a session running on your own computer (Remote Control).
Claude Code Beyond the Terminal compares these surfaces.
42.7 The Claude Developer Platform
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Claude Platform docs · Agent SDK overview · Managed Agents overview
For people who build Claude into their own software:
- Claude API: your program sends Claude a request and gets a reply back. You pay per token (a chunk of text, roughly part of a word; see How LLMs Work). This is billed separately from any app subscription (see APIs, API Keys, and Third-Party Services).
- Claude Console (platform.claude.com): the website where developers create API keys, test prompts, and see usage and bills.
- Client SDKs: official libraries for Python, TypeScript, Java, Go, and other languages that make calling the API easier.
- Agent SDK: “Claude Code as a library”: the same tools and agent loop that power Claude Code, inside your own Python or TypeScript program.
- Managed Agents (beta): Anthropic hosts the whole agent for you, including a cloud sandbox where it runs.
Companies can also buy Claude models through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Foundry.
42.8 Names that are easy to mix up
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Claude Code in Slack · Projects in Claude Code · Share session output as artifacts
| These two… | …differ like this |
|---|---|
| claude.ai vs. Claude Console | claude.ai is the chat app. The Console (platform.claude.com) is the developer dashboard for API keys and API bills. A paid claude.ai plan does not include API usage. |
| Claude Tag vs. Claude Code in Slack | Both answer @Claude in Slack. Claude Tag is the organization’s shared teammate (Team and Enterprise). Claude Code in Slack is the earlier version: it starts a cloud coding session under your own account (Pro and Max), and only in Slack workspaces that are not connected to Claude Tag. |
| Projects in claude.ai vs. the new Projects | A classic project is a folder of chats, files, and instructions. The new Projects (public beta, rolling out to some Pro and Max users, starting with Claude Code) is one conversation in which Claude runs many parallel cloud sessions for you. Existing projects keep working. |
| Artifacts in chat vs. artifacts from Claude Code | The same idea. Claude Code can publish its work (for example, an annotated list of code changes) as a live page on claude.ai that stays private until you share it. |
| Claude Desktop vs. Claude Code Desktop | The same app; “Claude Code Desktop” means its Code tab. |
| Claude in Chrome vs. Claude Code’s Chrome integration | The same extension, used on its own or driven by Claude Code. |
As of Oct 6, 2026 · Official docs: Claude Science overview · Use Claude Security · Claude Fable and Mythos 5.1
- Claude Science (beta): a separate desktop app that pairs Claude with a sandboxed analysis environment (Python, R, shell) and connectors to scientific databases. On for Pro and Max; Team and Enterprise owners must turn it on.
- Claude Security (beta, Enterprise only): scans a codebase for security weaknesses and proposes fixes for a person to review.
- Claude for Government: a version of Claude for government agencies.
- Claude Mythos 5.1: an invitation-only model for vetted cybersecurity and biology research groups. Claude Fable 5.1 is the same underlying model with extra safeguards, so everyone else can use it.
42.9 Key takeaways
- “Claude” can mean the model, the apps, Claude Code, or the API.
- The Free plan does not include Claude Code, and no subscription includes API usage.
- Names and plans change quickly: check the date badges and official links.
Practice Questions
Easy
Question 1 · Multiple choice
Which description fits Claude Code?
- A website where you chat with Claude about any topic
- An agent that reads your project, edits files, and runs commands to complete coding tasks
- A dashboard for creating API keys and viewing API bills
- A Slack app that acts as your organization’s shared teammate
Question 2 · Short answer
The word “Claude” can refer to four different things. Name them.
Question 3 · True or false
The Free plan includes Claude Code.
Question 4 · Matching
Match each product with its description.
| Product | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. claude.ai | A. Developer dashboard for API keys and API bills | |
| 2. Claude Desktop | B. @Claude as a shared teammate in Slack channels |
|
| 3. Claude in Chrome | C. Chat website that works in any browser | |
| 4. Claude Tag | D. Browser extension that reads and acts on web pages | |
| 5. Claude Console | E. Installed app for Mac and Windows with a Code tab |
Question 5 · Multiple choice
Where do you use Claude Tag?
- In Slack
- In Excel
- In VS Code
- In the Claude Console
Question 6 · True or false
“Claude for Google Workspace” and the Google Drive connector are two names for the same feature.
Medium
Question 7 · Scenario
Maria keeps her budget in an Excel workbook. She wants Claude to fix formulas directly in the workbook, without copying data into a chat window. Which Claude product fits best, and what kind of plan does she need?
Question 8 · Scenario
Sam has a Pro plan. His student club chats in a Slack workspace that is not connected to any Claude organization. He wants to type @Claude with a bug report and get back a pull request.
- Which Claude product can he use, and under whose account does the work run?
- Why can’t he use Claude Tag?
Question 9 · Short answer
For each product, say where you use it: in a web browser, in an installed app or program, inside another app, or from your own code.
- claude.ai
- Claude Desktop
- The Claude Code CLI
- Claude for Microsoft 365
- The Claude API
Question 10 · Multiple choice
In claude.ai, what is a classic project?
- A Git repository that Claude creates for you
- A workspace that groups chats with uploaded files and standing instructions
- A paid add-on that unlocks the Opus models
- A Claude Code session that runs in the cloud
Question 11 · Short answer
What is an artifact? Give two examples, and name the three artifact templates.
Question 12 · Short answer
What happened to Cowork in September 2026, and how can you tell whether your account has the new experience yet?
Question 13 · Matching
Match each part of the Claude Developer Platform with its description.
| Part | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Claude API | A. Website for API keys, prompt testing, and bills | |
| 2. Claude Console | B. Claude Code’s tools and agent loop as a library for your own program | |
| 3. Agent SDK | C. Anthropic hosts the whole agent and its cloud sandbox | |
| 4. Managed Agents | D. Your program sends requests and pays per token |
Hard
Question 14 · Find the bug
A classmate says: “I already pay for Claude Pro, so the Python app I’m building can call the Claude API for free.” What is wrong with this reasoning, and what would the classmate actually need?
Question 15 · Scenario
A small-business owner wants three things:
- A weekly summary of the sales spreadsheets she keeps on her computer.
- An assistant her six employees can tag in their shared Slack channels.
- A chatbot on her company website that answers customer questions.
Recommend a Claude product for each, and explain why.
Question 16 · Compare
How is the Claude in Chrome extension related to Claude Code’s Chrome integration? Why should you be careful when letting Claude control your browser?
Question 17 · Short answer
A friend says, “Claude Code is just a website.” Correct this. Name at least four places where you can use Claude Code, and say which one this course uses.
Question 18 · Long answer
Two students argue about “Projects”. One says a project is a folder of chats and files with instructions; the other says a project is a conversation where Claude runs many coding sessions in parallel. Explain how both can be right, and why the date badges on Claude pages matter for questions like this.
Question 19 · Hands-on
Sign in to claude.ai (any plan is fine) and find:
- Your current plan (in Settings).
- Whether your message box shows separate “Chat” and “Cowork” options.
- Whether you can see a “Code” entry anywhere in the app.
- Where your projects and artifacts are listed.
Compare what you find with the map on this page. Write down anything that has changed since October 6, 2026.