When to Use Claude Instead of ChatGPT
- Writing long-form content (articles, reports, proposals)
- Analysing large documents or lengthy codebases
- Tasks requiring precise, multi-step instruction following
- When you want more nuanced, less formulaic writing
- Sensitive topics where thoughtful, balanced responses matter
Getting Started with Claude
Visit claude.ai and sign up with your email. The free tier uses Claude 3 Haiku — fast and capable for most tasks. Claude Pro at $20/month unlocks Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Anthropic's most capable model, with higher usage limits and priority access.
The interface is straightforward: a clean chat window with file upload capabilities. Claude doesn't have plugins or a web browsing feature on the standard interface, but its raw capability makes up for this in most use cases.
Claude's Unique Strengths
The 200K context window: Upload a 100-page PDF and ask Claude to find contradictions, summarise arguments, or answer specific questions. This capability is a genuine differentiator — most other AI tools can't process documents this large.
Nuanced writing: Claude's outputs consistently read more naturally than other models. The sentence structure varies, the hedging is appropriate, and the voice doesn't feel generic. For client-facing documents, this matters.
Instruction following: Claude is notably better at following complex, multi-part instructions without losing track of earlier requirements. If your prompt has five conditions, Claude is more likely to satisfy all five.
Prompting Techniques Specific to Claude
Be explicit about format: Claude responds well to explicit formatting instructions. "Use headers for each main point. Include a summary table at the end. Use British English." It follows these precisely.
Give it permission to disagree: Claude is trained to be helpful, which can make it agreeable when you want honest critique. Add "If you think my approach is flawed, say so directly and explain why" to get more honest feedback.
Use the XML tag structure: For complex tasks, structuring your prompt with XML-style tags helps Claude parse your instructions clearly:
<task>Analyse this business plan</task>
<focus>Financial projections and market assumptions</focus>
<tone>Critical but constructive</tone>
<format>Use three sections: Strengths, Concerns, Recommendations</format>
The Projects Feature (Claude Pro)
Claude Pro's Projects feature lets you create persistent workspaces with specific instructions and knowledge bases. You set up a project with custom instructions (your company's style guide, your personal writing preferences, a client's background), and every conversation in that project remembers that context.
Practical uses: a "Blog Writing" project with your brand voice instructions, a "Client X" project with that client's preferences and history, a "Code Review" project with your team's standards.
File Analysis — A Killer Feature
- Upload your document — PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets, images, and code files all work.
- Ask specific questions — "What are the three most significant risks identified in this report?" or "Find all mentions of budget and summarise them in a table."
- Cross-reference documents — Upload multiple files and ask Claude to compare them. "How does the 2025 strategy document differ from the 2026 version?"
- Generate outputs from documents — "Based on this research paper, write a 500-word executive summary for a non-technical audience."