Claude: what it is, pricing, and how to use it at work
Best pick: Doctor / medicalBest pick: Lawyer
In plain words: A careful, strong writer and analyst. Paid plans add Claude Cowork (desktop agent for multi-step tasks on your files), Claude in Chrome (acts in your browser), Research, and Claude for Microsoft 365.
Free tierYes
PriceFree; Pro $20/mo; Max from $100
Ease of use●●●●○
Acts on the webYes (Claude in Chrome on paid plans)
Who it's for
People who work with lots of documents and want polished, well-reasoned writing and analysis.
Pricing tiers
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Pro | $20/month or $17/month billed annually |
| Max | From $100/month (5x Pro usage) or $200/month (20x) |
| Team | $25/seat monthly or $20 annually (Standard); $125/$100 (Premium); 2–150 seats |
| Enterprise | Annual, contact sales |
Checked on the official site or help pages in October 2026. Prices change often; confirm on claude.ai before buying.
Daily-use examples by profession
Business owners
- Review a vendor contract and list questions to ask (not legal advice)
- Turn a month of receipts in a folder into a categorized summary
- Write an employee handbook draft
Doctors & medical offices
- Summarize a stack of faxed referral letters into a table for staff
- Draft prior-authorization appeal letters from your notes for review
- Compare two lab equipment lease agreements
Real estate
- Compare two purchase offers side by side
- Summarize an HOA document for buyers
- Draft a property management agreement checklist
Trainers & coaches
- Turn session notes into progress reports
- Write an email course for new members
- Analyze a CSV of class attendance
Restaurants & bars
- Analyze food-cost spreadsheets and spot outliers
- Write an employee training manual
- Summarize health code updates in plain words
Trades & home services
- Turn photos + notes into a written job report
- Compare subcontractor bids
- Draft a warranty policy
Pros and cons
Pros
- Excellent at long documents and nuanced writing
- Desktop agent (Cowork) works on your files
- Clear, honest about uncertainty
Cons
- Usage limits reset on 5-hour windows
- Agent features need paid plans
- Fewer built-in image/video tools than rivals
Bottom line
Claude is best for: Long documents, careful writing, analysis. Start on the cheapest plan that fits, give it one real task from the list above, and check its work before relying on it.