Jean and Claude Cowork
An open-source alternative to Claude Cowork, in a browser tab
Jean works through tasks on your files with the AI you choose, the one on your own computer included. Free, open source, nothing to install. Already pay for Claude? Jean can answer with your plan.
Try Jean on a fileUse your Claude plan
- Open source, MIT
- Any AI, Claude included
- A local AI if you like
- Nothing to install
Claude Cowork, fairly
Claude Cowork is Anthropic’s assistant for getting work done. It works through tasks of several steps in the folders and tools you choose, shows each step as it goes, and keeps going when you close your laptop. It comes with paid Claude plans and runs on Claude. Since September 2026, Anthropic has been folding it into the Claude app itself, on Pro and Max first.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 20262Claude: Cowork and chat are now one ClaudeOct 20, 2026
Side by side
| Jean | Claude Cowork | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Jean In a browser tab, on any recent computer, phone included. Built | Claude Cowork The Claude desktop app, with the web and phones in beta; a task keeps running in Anthropic’s cloud.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026 |
| What it works on | Jean The files you give it, inside the browser’s fence. A real folder on your computer in Chrome and Edge. Built | Claude Cowork The folders and tools you choose; deleting anything needs your approval.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026 |
| Which AI | Jean Any, Claude included: on this computer, a free one, your key, your plan. Built | Claude Cowork Claude, from Anthropic or through your company’s cloud: Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026 |
| Who reads what you send | Jean The AI you choose. With the AI on this computer, nobody. Built | Claude Cowork Anthropic. Used to train Claude only if you allow it in its privacy settings.3Claude privacy: is my data used for trainingOct 20, 2026 |
| What it costs | Jean Jean is free; the AI may not be. Your Claude plan works too. By design | Claude Cowork Paid Claude plans, from Pro at $20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly. Cowork uses up a plan’s allowance faster than chat does.4Claude pricingOct 20, 20261Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026 |
| Open source | Jean Yes, MIT. About 40,000 lines anyone can read. Built | Claude Cowork No. |
| At work | Jean A folder IT serves from its own address, behind its gateway and sign-in. Built | Claude Cowork Claude’s Team and Enterprise plans, with access, spending and tools set by admins.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026 |
| Leaving with your things | Jean Plain files and backups. Claude’s export comes in. Built | Claude Cowork Claude’s data export, from Settings › Privacy, its link sent by email.5Claude help centre: exporting your dataOct 20, 2026 |
Where Claude Cowork does better
Said plainly, so you can choose.
- One company’s app and AI, made to work together: sign in and start. Jean asks you to choose an AI first.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026
- It keeps working when you close your laptop, and runs tasks on a schedule unattended. Jean works while it is open.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026
- Connectors and plugins kept up by Anthropic.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026
- It works on folders where they sit on your computer. Jean does that in Chrome and Edge; in other browsers, on the files you give it.1Claude CoworkOct 20, 2026
Use both
Your Claude plan, in Jean
Pro or Max: install Claude Code on this computer and sign in, then paste This computer’s line once.
Built · on a computerBring your Claude history
In Claude: Settings › Privacy › Export data. Drop the file in Jean: every conversation comes in, nothing twice.
BuiltThe private part, at home
Payslips and medical letters with the AI on this computer; the rest with Claude.
Built
The catch, plainly
- Jean is free; the AI behind it may not be.
- Your Claude plan needs Claude Code on this computer and This computer’s line: a technical step, once.
- The AI on this computer needs 12 GB of memory and a recent graphics chip. Not on phones.
- Your work lives in this browser. Clear its data without a backup and it’s gone.
Questions people ask
Is there a free, open-source Claude Cowork alternative?
Jean is free and MIT. It works on your files with any AI, and the AI on this computer costs nothing.
Can it use a local AI?
Yes: the one Jean downloads to this computer, or yours in Ollama or LM Studio.
Can Jean use my Claude plan?
Yes, Pro or Max, on a computer where Claude Code is installed and signed in.
Is Jean like Claude Code?
No. Claude Code is for writing software; Jean is for everyday work on files. Jean uses Claude Code only as the way to your Claude plan.
Is Claude Cowork still a separate app?
Less and less: since September 2026 Anthropic has been folding Cowork into the Claude app, so the same work can start from any conversation, on Pro and Max first.
Give Jean a file and see what it makes
Facts about Claude Cowork were checked on Oct 20, 2026 on Anthropic’s own pages. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic; Jean is not affiliated with it.