---
title: "Claude Code vs Claude Desktop"
description: "Claude Code is a terminal agent, Claude Desktop is a desktop app. Claude Desktop runs Claude Code on the login you already have for it."
canonical_url: "https://whichcoding.tools/compare/claude-code-vs-claude-desktop"
---
# Claude Code vs Claude Desktop

> Claude Code is a terminal agent by Anthropic. Claude Desktop is a desktop app by Anthropic. Every cell below is read from the directory data and points back to a vendor page.

## General

|  | Claude Code | Claude Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Layer | Terminal agent, Editor extension, Cloud agent | Desktop app |
| Vendor | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Website | [code.claude.com](https://code.claude.com) | [claude.com/download](https://claude.com/download) |
| Platforms | macOS, Linux, Windows, Web | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| License | Proprietary (Proprietary) | Proprietary (Proprietary) |
| Status | active | active |

## Pricing

|  | Claude Code | Claude Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Entry price | $20/mo | $20/mo |
| Top individual plan | $200/mo | $200/mo |
| Team plan | $25/user/mo | $25/user/mo |
| Included usage | — | — |
| Beyond the plan | API list price | API list price |
| Part of a plan | Claude | Claude |

## Models

|  | Claude Code | Claude Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Providers | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Bring your own key | BYOK | No BYOK |
| Local models | No | No |

## Features

|  | Claude Code | Claude Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Git worktrees | Yes | Yes |
| Parallel agents | Yes | Yes |
| Subagents | Yes | Yes |
| MCP client | Yes | Yes |
| ACP agent | Yes | No |
| Browser automation | Yes | Yes |
| Sandboxing | Yes | Yes |
| Remote execution | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile companion | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled tasks | Yes | Yes |
| Diff review | No | Yes |
| Checkpoints | Yes | No |
| Plugins | Yes | Yes |
| Hooks | Yes | Yes |

## Works with

|  | Claude Code | Claude Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Runs | — | Claude Code |
| Runs inside | agent-manager, Claude Desktop, Claude Squad, cmux, Conductor, Devin Desktop, dmux, Emdash, goose, Herdr, JetBrains AI, Multica, Nimbalyst, opcode, OpenHands, Orca, Paseo, Sculptor, Superset, T3 Code, Vibe Kanban, Vibe Notch, Visual Studio Code, Warp, Xcode, YYLO, Zed | — |
| Pricing verified | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-23 |

## Related

[Add more tools](https://whichcoding.tools/compare?tools=claude-code,claude-desktop), up to four at a time.

Data: CC BY 4.0. Credit whichcoding.tools and link to https://whichcoding.tools. Full terms in [LICENSE-DATA](https://github.com/benjamincanac/whichcodingtools/blob/main/LICENSE-DATA).

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