ChatGPT Work and Claude Cowork solve the same problem: you hand off a piece of work with a clear outcome, such as a presentation, a comparison spreadsheet or a recurring summary, and get a finished file back to review. Both use the technology of their coding agent, Work that of Codex, Cowork that of Claude Code; both can keep running in the cloud and can reach your computer through the desktop app. The differences are in the details: according to OpenAI, ChatGPT Work is part of every ChatGPT plan down to Free and shares its allowance with Codex, while Cowork is only on paid Claude plans. According to Anthropic, Cowork runs scheduled tasks in the cloud without any device online. In Germany you can use Cowork on any paid plan. For Work, OpenAI's docs don't exclude the EU but make individual features depend on region, without naming the regions. The proactive siblings, dots and Claude Duet, are not available here on personal plans.
I have used Cowork myself, among other things for presentations and for my own skills. Today I work only in Claude Code, where my team of fourteen AI employees runs. I describe ChatGPT Work from OpenAI's docs as of October 26, 2026, and mark what they say and what they don't. Everything about Claude is collected on my Claude page.
What "delegating" means with both
The difference from chat is the same with both vendors. OpenAI writes: "Use Chat when you want an answer, explanation, brainstorm, or short draft. Use ChatGPT Work when you want ChatGPT to complete a task with a clear outcome." Anthropic describes Cowork like this: "Instead of responding to prompts one at a time, Claude can take on complex, multi-step tasks and execute them on your behalf."
So delegating here means: describe the outcome, name sources and limits, let it run, review the result. Both show you what they are doing along the way, and with both you can change direction while the work is running. They differ on approvals: according to OpenAI, Work asks before important actions, while Cowork offers three modes, from "Manually approve" for every action through "Automatically approve" with an automatic safety check to "Skip all approvals", which Anthropic recommends only with complete trust. OpenAI explicitly recommends limits such as "use only these sources" or "stop before sending anything". That is the same idea I use when I give my AI employees their assignments: outcome, sources, limit, sign-off.
ChatGPT Work in brief
According to OpenAI, ChatGPT Work is "a way to delegate real work to ChatGPT". You switch to "Work" at the top of the chat and describe the task. Work can use files, plugins and approved tools, and in the desktop app also local files, applications and the browser. The docs name presentations, comparison spreadsheets and recurring updates as typical tasks. Plugins connect Work to Slack, Google Drive, SharePoint, email, calendars, CRM systems and project tools. How to create a presentation with AI step by step, with Work or another tool, is covered in a separate article.
Technically, Work is closely related to Codex. OpenAI writes: "If you have used Codex for non-coding work, you can stay in Codex or use ChatGPT Work instead." Both share pricing, credits and usage limits. In the desktop app you may, depending on your account, choose whether a task runs locally, with access to your computer, or in the cloud, so it keeps going when your laptop is closed. Scheduled tasks exist too. If they need local files, the docs say the computer must be on and the app running. Web tasks run without your computer but then cannot work in a folder on your machine.
Claude Cowork in brief
According to Anthropic, Cowork uses "the same agentic architecture that powers Claude Code, with no terminal required". Since September, Anthropic has been merging chat and Cowork into one Claude. With the new interface you no longer pick a mode. As long as your message box still shows "Chat" and "Cowork", you pick "Cowork". The details are in Claude Cowork: What It Does, Who It's For.
According to Anthropic, Cowork tasks run in the cloud, in an isolated environment on Anthropic's servers. On Pro and Max this applies to all new sessions, on Team it is on by default, and on Enterprise an owner turns it on. For local files, the browser and computer use, Claude Desktop must be open on your computer. Scheduled tasks run "in the cloud, with no device online", according to Anthropic. On top come projects with their own files, instructions and memory, subtasks running in parallel, and finished Excel spreadsheets with formulas, presentations and documents.
The two side by side
The table summarizes what the vendors document as of October 26, 2026.
For a business without developers, two rows matter most. First, the plans: according to OpenAI you can try ChatGPT Work without a paid plan, with GPT-6 Luna and only in the desktop app. Cowork requires at least Pro. Second, scheduled tasks: if you want a report from several sources every Monday without a computer running, Cowork does that without a device according to the docs, and Work does it through a web task, which then cannot work in local folders.
EU availability: what is documented
This deserves a close look, because the situation differs by feature.
- Claude Cowork: Germany is on Anthropic's list of supported countries, and the Cowork help articles name plans, not countries. It follows that on paid plans you can use Cowork in Germany. According to Anthropic, computer use is a beta for Pro and Max.
- ChatGPT Work: The OpenAI docs I retrieved don't exclude the EU for Work. But they state in general: "Features depend on your plan, platform, region, rollout, and workspace settings." The help article on Work and Codex was not accessible when I tried to retrieve it.
- Computer Use in ChatGPT: according to the docs only "in supported regions". The page doesn't say which regions those are. Your account shows whether you have it.
- OpenAI dots: On the Pro plans explicitly only "outside the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland". For Business Premium and Enterprise, OpenAI writes "Rolling out worldwide", adding: "You may not see dots immediately, even if your plan is eligible." Whether Business Premium can be bought in Germany, I have not checked.
- Claude Duet: according to Anthropic "available in the US only during the research preview", only for Pro and Max, not for Team.
The rule of thumb for October 2026: the delegation tools, Work and Cowork, don't exclude Germany according to the docs, but individual Work features depend on region. The proactive agents that reach out on their own are not available here on personal plans. With OpenAI, business plans are the only route on which dots is rolling out worldwide according to the docs, and gradually there too. Anthropic has no such route.
The next step: dots and Duet
Work and Cowork wait for your assignment. Dots and Claude Duet go further: they run continuously, check connected accounts on their own and get in touch when something needs your decision. What Duet can do and why it hasn't reached Germany yet is in Claude Duet: What Anthropic's Agent Does. For everyday delegation, these agents are not yet an alternative to Work or Cowork, because they are not available in Germany on personal plans.
The privacy questions raised by an agent that looks into your inbox on its own are collected in my article on Claude Duet and the GDPR.
Which tool for whom
My assessment, as a heuristic:
- Your team already works in ChatGPT: Then Work is the shortest route, because it is in the same account. If you also write code, you use the same allowance for Codex.
- Your team already works with Claude: Then Cowork is already included in your paid plan. With the merged interface you don't even need to pick a mode.
- You want recurring reports without a running computer: According to the docs, Cowork runs scheduled tasks in the cloud without a device. With Work, this goes through web tasks, then without access to local folders.
- You want to test without a plan first: According to OpenAI, that only works with Work, with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app.
- You work with client data: Then the contract behind the tool matters more than the tool. Take a business plan and check the defaults before you connect accounts. Everything on privacy with Claude is in Claude Privacy and GDPR: What Applies.
If your tasks go beyond documents and spreadsheets, into code, servers or workflows with fixed rules, the next step is Claude Code. Where the line between the two runs is described in Claude Code or Cowork: What For?.
What neither solves for you
A delegation tool does not turn an AI into an employee. Whether Work or Cowork: without a clear assignment, recorded rules and a sign-off, you get impressive one-off results and no reliable relief. Both vendors' docs point the same way, OpenAI with the advice to name outcome, sources, limits and the point for approval, Anthropic with projects that have their own instructions and memory.
The process I use to define roles, set up files and assess trial work is independent of the tool. It is in Hiring an AI Employee: The Process and does not depend on whether you use Work or Cowork.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT Work available in Germany?
OpenAI's docs don't exclude the EU for Work, but make features depend on plan, platform and region in general. According to the docs, Computer Use is available only in supported regions, which OpenAI doesn't name. Your account shows whether a feature is enabled for you.
Is ChatGPT Work the same as Codex?
Not quite. According to OpenAI, Work brings "the technology behind Codex" into ChatGPT, with an interface for office work. Both share pricing, credits and usage limits. Codex remains the tool for code, Work the one for documents, spreadsheets and recurring tasks.
Does Claude Cowork cost extra?
No, Cowork is included in all paid Claude plans, from Pro. According to Anthropic, though, multi-step tasks use more of your allowance than a quick question, because every step costs tokens.
Can Work and Cowork access files on my computer?
Yes, both through their desktop app, and only folders you share. With Cowork the task still runs in the cloud and fetches what it needs through the open app. With Work you choose the local mode for local work, if it is enabled for your account or workspace. In both cases the app has to be running while the task needs your computer.
How do dots and Claude Duet differ?
Work and Cowork work when you give them an assignment. Dots and Duet run continuously, check connected accounts on their own and get in touch. OpenAI excludes Germany for the Pro plans. For Business Premium and Enterprise, OpenAI is rolling out dots worldwide and gradually, according to the docs. According to Anthropic, Duet is only available in the US so far.
Where to go from here
Give the tool that is already in your plan one real task from your week, with a clear outcome, fixed sources and a stop before anything is sent, and assess the result like a trial assignment. How Cowork works in detail is in Claude Cowork: What It Does, Who It's For. How to go from tool to AI employee is what I show in Hiring an AI Employee: The Process. And how others hand off their tasks to Claude is what we discuss in my German-speaking community Claude Practitioners.
