Frequently Asked Questions

No — you describe what you want in plain English, and Claude builds it. Your job is to know what you want and give feedback, not to write code. See our Getting Started guide for how it works.

Claude Code itself is free to install. What you pay for is the Claude subscription that powers it. Here's the honest breakdown:

Our recommendation: Start with Pro at $20/month. It gives you enough usage to build projects and learn the workflow. You can always upgrade later if you find yourself wanting more.

You'll see a message saying you've reached your limit. This just means you need to wait a bit before Claude Code will respond again — usually a few hours, sometimes until the next day. Your project and files are completely safe. The limit resets automatically. If you're hitting it often, that's a sign you might benefit from upgrading to the Max plan. But for most beginners building their first few projects, Pro is plenty.

Claude Code requires a paid plan — Pro at minimum, $20/month. The free tier only gives you the regular chatbot, not Claude Code. Check claude.com/pricing for current plans and any promotions.

They're all AI coding tools, but they work differently. Cursor, Copilot, and Windsurf are extensions that live inside a code editor (like VS Code). Claude Code can work from the terminal, the Desktop App, your web browser at claude.com, or even inside VS Code as an extension. It manages your whole project — creating files, organizing code, and building complete features from a single description. The practical difference: with Claude Code, you describe what you want and it builds the whole thing. With other editor extensions, you're more involved in the coding process. As a beginner, don't overthink the comparison — just pick one tool and start building.

Claude Code runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The Desktop App and terminal work on all three. Claude.com works in any browser, including on a Chromebook — use the Code tab to build projects right in your browser without installing anything. There's also a VS Code extension if you use that editor. Claude also has an iOS app — you can use Claude Code from your iPhone or iPad. Phones and tablets aren't ideal for building from scratch, but they're useful for reviewing progress, giving feedback, or continuing a session on the go.

Anything you'd hand to a sharp assistant who knows their way around your computer. Common examples for small business owners and operators:

• Draft customer follow-up emails based on a list in a spreadsheet
• Research competitors and put a summary in a Google Doc
• Read through a folder of PDFs and pull the key facts into a single page
• Triage your inbox and flag what needs a human reply
• Turn meeting notes into a polished recap and a list of next steps
• Summarize a month of reviews and find the patterns

See our Cowork guide for more examples and how to get started.

Just the Claude Desktop App. Download it from claude.ai/download, sign in, and click the Cowork tab. No terminal, no commands, no code. Cowork runs on Mac and on Windows (Windows 10 version 1903 or newer, or Windows 11) and works with any Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan.

Cowork uses Claude's connectors to plug into the tools you already use — Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Calendar, Drive), Microsoft 365, Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, GitHub, and dozens more. You authorize each connector once. For apps without a direct connector, Cowork can fall back to Computer Use and click around like a person — slower, but it works.

Quick rule of thumb:

• Chat for one-off questions and short writing tasks. You stay in the conversation.
• Cowork when the task involves real work in your apps, runs longer, or has multiple steps. You can walk away while it works.

You authorize each connector individually and can revoke access any time from your Claude account settings. Anthropic doesn't use your data to train models on consumer plans. Start cautious — try Cowork on low-stakes tasks first (a research summary, a draft email) before pointing it at customer or financial data. Same advice we give clients: walk before you run.

No — it only works inside the project folder you choose. See our Safety & Control guide for full details on permissions and privacy.

Yes — type /rewind to roll back recent changes. See our Commands reference for more options like /clear and Git integration.

A few honest ones:

• Context window: Claude can only "see" a limited amount of text at once. In very long conversations, it may forget earlier instructions. Fix: start fresh sessions and use a CLAUDE.md file.
• Hallucinations: Sometimes Claude will confidently suggest something that doesn't work. It's not lying — it's pattern-matching and sometimes gets it wrong. Fix: always test what Claude builds.
• Usage caps: On the Pro plan ($20/month), you get a daily usage limit. Heavy sessions can hit it. Fix: work in focused sessions, or upgrade to Max if you need more.
• Complex integrations: Claude is great at building self-contained apps but can struggle with complex third-party integrations (databases, APIs, deployment). Fix: keep your first projects simple.

You're learning more than you think. Every time you describe what you want, review what Claude built, and give feedback — you're developing real skills: how to break problems into steps, how to communicate requirements clearly, how to evaluate whether something works. These are the same skills professional developers use. You'll also naturally pick up coding concepts just by reading what Claude produces. You're not cheating — you're using a tool, the same way a writer uses a word processor or an architect uses CAD software.

Nothing — they're yours. Your project files live on your computer in regular folders. If you cancel Claude Pro, you lose access to Claude Code, but every file Claude created stays exactly where it is. You can open them, edit them, share them, or even use a different AI tool to continue working on them. You never lose your work.

More than you'd expect. Websites, personal dashboards, data tracking tools, recipe books, workout logs, and even mobile apps. One person built a full Android app with over 160 files — with no prior coding experience. The key is to start with something small and useful to you. Your first project doesn't have to impress anyone. It just has to work.

It will — and that's part of the process. The real skill you're building is the review-and-iterate cycle: look at what Claude built, try it out, and describe what you'd change. You don't fix the code yourself — you tell Claude what's wrong in plain English. You get better at this quickly, and it's honestly the most useful skill in the whole workflow.

Claude can only "see" a limited amount of text at once. In long sessions, early instructions may get lost. The fix: use a CLAUDE.md file to persist your project's rules across sessions. See our CLAUDE.md guide for a starter template.

A simple web app can be built in a single session — 30 to 60 minutes from idea to working prototype. More complex projects take days or weeks of iteration. The first project is the hardest because everything is new: the tools, the workflow, the way you talk to AI. After that, you get noticeably faster with each project because the patterns start to click.

Yes, with some caveats. Claude can generate code for mobile apps using frameworks like React Native or Flutter, but you'll need additional setup for testing on a phone and publishing to the App Store or Google Play. If you're just starting out, web apps are the easiest path — they work on phones through the browser, and you can build one in a single session. One of our group members did go on to build a full Android app with Claude Code, but they started with web projects first.

That's normal and expected. First, try describing the problem to Claude in plain English — it's surprisingly good at troubleshooting its own mistakes. If that doesn't work, type /exit and start a new session by typing claude again — a clean slate often helps. You can also search for error messages online, or ask someone who's been through it before. Getting stuck is part of building. Getting unstuck is the skill.

Zip the folder and send it, or ask Claude to help you deploy to the internet for free. See our Getting Started guide for details.

No. What it does is let non-developers build things they couldn't before, and it helps professional developers move faster. Think of it like how spreadsheets didn't replace accountants — they gave everyone the ability to work with numbers. AI coding tools are similar. They lower the barrier to entry, but complex software still benefits from experienced people guiding the process.