There is no shortage of AI assistants these days.
ChatGPT has become a familiar name. Perplexity has made AI-powered research easier to access. Canva has brought AI into graphic design.
And then there is Claude.
Created by Anthropic, Claude has developed a reputation for handling writing, analysis, coding and longer, more complicated tasks particularly well.
But what is Claude actually like to use—and is there a reason to add another AI assistant to your toolbox?
Let’s take a look.
What is Claude?
Claude is an AI assistant developed by Anthropic, an AI company founded in 2021.
You interact with Claude much like you would with other conversational AI tools: type a question or instruction, and Claude responds.
But Claude is designed to do more than answer questions.
It can help write and edit documents, analyse information, work with uploaded files, create content, write code and carry out more complicated tasks.
And Claude has continued to develop quickly.
Anthropic’s current lineup includes Claude Sonnet 5, which is available to Free and Pro users, and Claude Opus 4.8, aimed at more demanding professional and coding work.
What can Claude do?
Quite a lot.
✍️ Writing and editing
Claude can draft articles, letters, reports, emails and other written material.
But where it becomes particularly useful is when you already have something written.
You can give Claude a piece of writing and ask it to:
* Improve the structure
* Make it easier to read
* Change the tone
* Shorten it
* Expand particular sections
* Find repetition
* Suggest alternative wording
That makes it useful for writers who don’t necessarily want AI to write everything from scratch.
📄 Working with documents
This is one of Claude’s interesting strengths.
You can upload documents and ask Claude to examine them, summarise them or extract specific information.
Claude can also create files directly, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and PDFs.
For example, you could give Claude a spreadsheet containing sales figures and ask it to identify the strongest-performing products and present the findings in a chart.
Or upload a long report and ask for the main points in plain English.
🧠 Handling complicated tasks
Claude isn’t limited to simple questions.
Its newer models are designed for more demanding reasoning and professional work. Anthropic says Sonnet 5 is built for tasks including coding, tool use and everyday professional work, while Opus 4.8 is aimed at more complex, long-running tasks.
For an ordinary user, that could mean asking Claude to break down a complicated problem into smaller steps rather than simply asking for a quick answer.
📚 Projects
This is a feature I think many beginners could find useful.
Claude Projects allow you to create separate workspaces around particular subjects.
You can upload documents, add information and give Claude instructions for that project. Free users can currently create up to five Projects.
Imagine creating a Project called “My Novel.”
You could keep your character information, chapters and notes there and return to the same workspace when working on the book.
That is much more useful than repeatedly explaining the background of a project in a new conversation.
💻 Coding
Claude has become particularly well known for coding.
You don’t need to be a programmer to understand why this matters.
Someone building a website, spreadsheet, small application or automation can describe what they want and ask Claude to produce or modify the necessary code.
For experienced developers, Claude can also work through much more complicated programming tasks.
And then there are Artifacts
One of Claude’s more interesting features is Artifacts.
Instead of simply receiving a block of text in a conversation, Claude can create something you can interact with—such as a document, visualisation, piece of code or other working content.
Artifacts can also be published and shared, with publishing available on Free, Pro and Max plans.
That takes Claude beyond the traditional question-and-answer format.
You’re not simply asking:
“Can you write this for me?”
You can ask Claude to build something.
Is Claude free?
Yes.
There is a Free Claude plan, although it comes with usage limits. Anthropic says free usage is session-based and resets every five hours, with the number of messages varying according to demand and other factors.
There is also a paid Pro plan, currently listed at $20 per month in the US, with local-currency pricing where supported. It provides higher usage and additional features.
For someone who is simply curious about Claude, I’d start with the free version rather than paying immediately.
Who might find Claude useful?
Claude could be particularly useful if your work involves:
* ✍️ Writing and editing
* 📄 Long documents
* 📊 Data analysis
* 💻 Coding
* 📚 Research
* 🧠 Problem solving
* 📑 Creating reports and presentations
* 🗂️ Managing information around an ongoing project
You don’t have to be a technology expert to use it.
The simplest way to start is to give Claude a real task rather than asking it what it can do.
For example:
“Here is a five-page document. Summarise it in 10 bullet points and highlight anything that needs my attention.”
That’s a much better test than simply asking, “What can you do?”
👍 The Pros
Easy to start – You can use Claude through the web or mobile apps.
Strong writing and analysis – Particularly useful when working with substantial amounts of information.
Works with files – It can analyse uploaded material and create several common file types.
Projects – Useful for keeping related information together.
Artifacts – Lets you create and interact with content rather than simply receiving text.
Free option available – You can try it without committing to a subscription.
👎 The Cons
Free usage is limited – Heavy users may quickly run into the usage limits.
AI can still make mistakes – Claude’s confident answer isn’t automatically a correct answer.
Some advanced features require more usage or paid access – The free version is useful, but it isn’t unlimited.
Another AI assistant means another tool to learn – If you’re already happy with your current AI assistant, Claude may not immediately feel necessary.
🧐 My Verdict
Claude deserves a place on the AI Toolbox.
What interests me most isn’t simply that it can write an email or answer a question. Plenty of AI assistants can do that.
The more interesting part is what happens when you give Claude a substantial piece of work.
A collection of documents.
A spreadsheet.
A complicated writing project.
A coding problem.
An idea that needs turning into something usable.
That’s where Claude becomes more interesting.
You don’t have to abandon the AI tools you’re already using. Try Claude with one genuine task and see whether the result is useful enough to bring it into your regular toolbox.
Final Thoughts
Claude is no longer just another chatbot competing for attention.
It has become a workspace for writing, analysis, documents, coding and projects.
And perhaps that’s the better question to ask about any AI tool:
Not “Is this the best AI?”
But:
“What can I actually use this for?”
That’s what we’ll continue looking at in the Striv AI Toolbox.
Have you tried Claude? What would you ask it to do first? Let us know in the comments.
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