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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Claude Cowork vs Microsoft Edge vs Dots by OpenAI

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Claude Cowork

4.1

From $20/mo

Microsoft Edge

3.9

From $19.99/mo

Dots by OpenAI

3.8

From $100

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overall

Pick it if: Business owners and office teams who want repetitive file, report and admin work done for them without building automations.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

Pick it if: ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users who want an assistant that keeps working on ongoing jobs without being asked every time.

Overview

AttributeClaude CoworkMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
In one lineClaude's agent mode: hand it a whole task across your files, apps and browser.Microsoft's free browser with Copilot built in to read pages, compare tabs and do tasks.Always-on ChatGPT agents with their own cloud computer that keep working on your goals.
Pricing modelPaidFreemiumPaid
Starting price$20/mo$19.99/mo$100
Free plan No Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes No No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeClaude CoworkMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Overall rating4.1Winner3.93.8
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
3.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
3.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
4.0
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
4.0
3.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeClaude CoworkMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Access & platform
Free plan No Yes No
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes No
API access No No No
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images No Yesโ€“
Makes video No Noโ€“
Writes code Yes No Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes Noโ€“
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score11/ 1712/ 1710/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeClaude CoworkMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Plans

Pro

$20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly

Trying it on a few tasks a week.

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and Journeys.

ChatGPT ProOur pick

$100, $200 or $500/mo

Heavy ChatGPT users outside Europe who want a personal agent.

MaxOur pick

From $100/mo

Anyone handing off tasks every day.

Microsoft 365 Premium

$19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr

US households and sole traders who want the agent and Office apps in one bill.

Business Premium

$100/seat/mo billed yearly, or $125 monthly

Teams that want dots in every supported country.

Team

$25/seat/mo, or $20/seat/mo billed yearly

Small teams sharing connectors and admin controls.

Microsoft 365 Copilot (business)

See website

Companies on Microsoft 365 business plans.

Enterprise and Edu

Custom

Large organisations testing agents under admin control.

Enterprise

From $20/seat/mo yearly plus usage, 20-seat minimum

Companies that need admin, spend and security controls.

Which plan to pickStart on Pro to see which jobs it handles well for you. If you hand it real work most days you will hit the limits, and Max is the plan that makes it a daily tool.Stay on free. The side panel, tab comparisons and Journeys cover what most business owners need, and they cost nothing. Microsoft 365 Premium is only worth it if you're in the US and already want Office for the household; don't buy it just for the browser agent, which Microsoft still calls experimental.Pro 100 is the cheapest way in for one person, and the bigger Pro tiers don't give you a better dot, just more room for the work it runs. If you're in the UK or Europe, or you want dots for staff, Business Premium is the only option. Don't upgrade from Plus just to try it until OpenAI publishes the usage terms that apply after the launch month.

Key features

AttributeClaude CoworkMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Standout features
  • Works in your files
  • Apps and browser
  • Scheduled tasks
  • Parallel sub-agents
  • Start from your phone
  • Plugins for roles
  • Copilot side panel
  • Journeys
  • Browse with Copilot
  • Memory and history
  • Study, write, listen
  • Voice and Vision on mobile
  • Always on
  • 4,000+ apps
  • Talk to it anywhere
  • Custom rules
  • Activity view
  • Saved logins

Pros and cons

AttributeClaude CoworkMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Pros
  • Handles real multi-step business work, not just chat answers
  • Output files (decks, spreadsheets, documents) are usually ready to use
  • No separate subscription if you already pay for Claude
  • Scheduled tasks and phone hand-off make it feel like an assistant
  • Plans first and asks before big actions, so you stay in control
  • Already installed on Windows, nothing new to learn
  • Free Copilot reads pages and compares open tabs well
  • Journeys makes it easy to pick research back up
  • Chrome extensions and bookmarks work
  • Strong admin controls for businesses on Microsoft 365
  • Keeps working on a goal without you starting each task
  • Its own cloud computer, so nothing runs on your laptop
  • Custom rules give clear control over what it can do alone
  • Reach it in Slack and Teams, not just ChatGPT
  • Chatting with it doesn't count against your ChatGPT limits
Cons
  • Agent tasks burn through usage limits quickly, especially on Pro
  • Long or complex jobs sometimes stall or produce wrong results
  • Scheduled tasks need your computer awake with Claude open
  • Files with hidden instructions can trick it, and when it controls your screen nothing walls it off from the rest of your computer
  • Still rolling out: Team and Free don't have the merged version yet
  • The agent is US only and needs Microsoft 365 Premium
  • Several features are US or English-language only, so Australian users get less
  • Microsoft calls the agent experimental and warns it can misread instructions
  • Copilot prompts are pushed into many corners of the browser, which some find cluttered
  • Screenshots from agent sessions are kept with the chat for up to 30 days
  • Needs Pro or Business Premium, at $100 a month or more
  • Pro users in the EU, UK and Switzerland can't use it yet
  • Tasks it runs still use your plan's limits, and later pricing for extra dots is unknown
  • Early reviews reported failed checkouts, dropped messages and permission bugs
  • An agent with access to your apps around the clock needs careful rules and regular checks

Who each one is for

AttributeClaude CoworkMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Best for
  • Weekly reports built from several sources
  • Organising and cleaning up folders of files
  • Turning receipts or exports into spreadsheets
  • Reviewing a batch of documents against a checklist
  • Recurring admin on a schedule
  • Summarising long pages and PDFs
  • Comparing products or quotes across open tabs
  • Picking research back up days later with Journeys
  • Businesses already paying for Microsoft 365
  • Ongoing watch jobs like reviews, competitors or a support inbox
  • Daily or weekly briefings pulled from your apps
  • Research that keeps running in the background
  • Teams that want an agent inside Slack or Teams
You'll find it used by
  • Business owners
  • Operations teams
  • Marketers
  • Analysts
  • Lawyers and accountants
  • Office workers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Windows users
  • Founders
  • Operations teams
  • Product teams
  • Researchers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Claude Cowork, Microsoft Edge or Dots by OpenAI?

Claude Cowork scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude Cowork 4.1/5, Microsoft Edge 3.9/5 and Dots by OpenAI 3.8/5). Claude Cowork is best for weekly reports built from several sources and organising and cleaning up folders of files. Microsoft Edge is best for summarising long pages and PDFs and comparing products or quotes across open tabs. Dots by OpenAI is best for ongoing watch jobs like reviews, competitors or a support inbox and daily or weekly briefings pulled from your apps.

Which is cheaper, Claude Cowork, Microsoft Edge or Dots by OpenAI?

Claude Cowork: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $20/mo. Microsoft Edge: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Dots by OpenAI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $100.

Which is easier to use, Claude Cowork, Microsoft Edge or Dots by OpenAI?

Microsoft Edge rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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