What Can Claude Do? Features, Plans and Limits Explained (2026)

Claude is the AI assistant made by Anthropic. Many people first meet it as a chatbot, but it now does much more than answer questions: it searches the web, writes and edits files, builds small apps and dashboards, remembers context between chats and connects to the apps you already use. This guide explains, in plain English, what Claude can do, what each plan includes and where its limits are, based on Anthropic's own pricing page and help center as of October 2026.

What is Claude?

Claude is a general-purpose AI assistant. You can use it in a web browser at claude.ai, in desktop apps and in mobile apps. You talk to it in normal language, in English or many other languages, and it can read what you give it: text, documents, spreadsheets and images.

It is used for writing, research, analysis, coding, planning and learning, by individuals as well as companies. Anthropic also offers Claude to developers through an API, and as Claude Code, a tool for programming work.

What Claude can do

1. Write, edit and translate

Claude drafts emails, articles, product descriptions, scripts and social posts, and it rewrites text in a different tone or length. It is also good at editing: you can paste your own draft and ask it to tighten, simplify or correct it, and it explains what it changed. It works in many languages, so it can translate or help you write directly in another language.

2. Search the web and do research

Claude has three related tools, and Anthropic's help center explains when to use each:

• Web search for quick, factual lookups that need current information, like recent news or company details.
• Extended thinking for problems that need careful reasoning rather than new information, such as maths, debugging or analysing an argument.
• Research for broad questions that need many searches, usually taking a few minutes and producing a longer report with citations, such as a competitor comparison.

3. Read and analyse your files

You can upload PDFs, documents, spreadsheets and images, and ask questions about them: summarise a report, pull figures from a table, compare two contracts or explain a chart. Uploads and downloads are limited to 30 MB per file.

4. Create real files

Claude can run code in a secure environment, which lets it produce finished files instead of only text. According to Anthropic, it can create Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files, as well as charts and data analysis from CSV files. This is available on all plans, including the free one, but it uses more of your usage limit than a normal chat.

5. Build artifacts: documents, decks, dashboards and small apps

Artifacts are polished outputs that open beside the conversation, where you can edit them, come back later and share them. Examples include documents, slide decks, designs, single-page websites, diagrams and small interactive tools such as calculators or quizzes. Depending on the type, you can export them to formats like Word, PDF, PowerPoint or HTML.

6. Remember context and organise work in projects

Claude can keep a memory across conversations, so you don't have to repeat who you are or how you like things done. Projects are separate workspaces with their own files and instructions, useful for a client, a course or a long piece of work. Free accounts can create a limited number of projects; paid plans allow more and can handle larger project knowledge.

7. Connect to your apps

Claude can connect to other services, such as Google Workspace and Slack, so it can read or work with your own data when you allow it. Anthropic's help center also lists Claude inside Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, and, on paid plans, Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365.

8. Code

Claude writes, explains and fixes code in many programming languages. For developers, Claude Code (included in paid plans) works directly with a project's files to build features, run tests and fix bugs.

9. Skills and repeatable workflows

Skills are packaged instructions that teach Claude how to do a specific task well, such as following a brand style or producing a certain type of document. You can use Anthropic's skills or create your own, which is useful when you repeat the same kind of work.

What Claude cannot do (or does differently)

• It doesn't generate photos or illustrations the way image tools such as Canva or Midjourney do. It can create diagrams, charts and interactive graphics, and it can look at images you upload.
• Usage is limited on every plan. The free plan has limits that can run out with heavy use, and capacity can be tighter at busy times.
• It can make mistakes. Like any AI assistant, it can be wrong or out of date. Check important facts, figures and anything legal, medical or financial.
• It is not a voice or video tool. For voiceovers, dubbing or video creation, dedicated tools like ElevenLabs or Pictory are the better choice.

Claude plans and pricing

Here is what Anthropic's pricing page listed in October 2026. Prices and features change, so check the official page before you subscribe.

There are also Team and Enterprise plans for organisations.

Who should use which plan?

• Free: enough to try Claude for writing, questions, file analysis and small projects.
• Pro: for people who use it every day for work, or who hit the free limits often.
• Max: for heavy users, such as developers using Claude Code for hours a day.

Tips to get better results

• Give context. Say who the text is for, what tone you want and what a good result looks like.
• Share examples. Paste a piece you like and ask for something in the same style.
• Work step by step. Ask for an outline first, then each section.
• Ask for the format you need, such as a table, a checklist, a Word file or a slide deck.
• Check the facts before you publish, and ask Claude for its sources when it searched the web.

The verdict

Claude has grown from a chatbot into an all-round work assistant: it writes and edits well, researches with sources, analyses files, produces real documents and builds small tools you can share. The free plan covers a lot, including web search, file creation and artifacts, so it is easy to try before paying. Its main gaps are image generation and the usage limits, and, as with any AI, its answers still need checking. For writing, research and everyday office work, it is one of the most capable assistants available.

Sources: Anthropic's pricing page and help center, checked October 2026.