Switch from Claude Cowork to Task Machine
Claude Cowork brings delegated file work into Claude conversations. Task Machine gives people and agents shared Tasks, explicit Workflows and one Inbox for review.
Prefer the side-by-side comparison?Why people switch
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Long jobs consume more
Cowork draws from your Claude plan's usage limits, and multi-step work consumes more capacity than a quick question. Anthropic recommends checking usage and grouping related work when you hit limits.
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Older tasks escape search
In the new unified Claude experience, search excludes older Cowork tasks. You can still find them by name in Recents.
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Local work needs desktop
Cloud work continues after you close your laptop, but tasks that need local files, your browser or your computer still need Claude Desktop open. A schedule that requires local files or apps only runs locally.
What maps to what
Every answer links to its source and shows when we last checked it. The oldest check on this page was November 15, 2026.
| Area | In Claude Cowork | In Task Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks |
In Claude Cowork
Describe an outcome and Claude creates a plan, breaks complex work into subtasks and returns finished files to the session for preview and download. |
In Task Machine
Every job is a Task that a person or an agent owns. Its plan, discussion, decisions, runs and history stay together, so a weekly report can change hands without losing its context. |
| Recurring work |
In Claude Cowork
Save a prompt to run hourly, daily, weekly, on weekdays or manually. Each occurrence gets its own Cowork session, with upcoming and past runs available from Scheduled. |
In Task Machine
Start a Task or Workflow once or on a repeat in your timezone. A recurring report keeps one root Task, with each occurrence's own status and history. |
| Approval |
In Claude Cowork
Connector tools can be Always allow, Needs approval or Blocked. Manual mode pauses for permission requests you allow or deny in the task. |
In Task Machine
Decisions arrive in your Inbox with context. Set each agent's actions to Ask first or Automatic, and put a Human approval step before sending a weekly report. |
| Memory |
In Claude Cowork
Projects keep files, instructions and memory for related tasks. Project memory carries context into later tasks, and you can turn off its use of account memory. |
In Task Machine
Agents keep reusable lessons, such as an accepted example or a mistake to avoid. Memory belongs to an agent, project, goal, team or workspace, and you can inspect, correct and restore notes. |
| Connections |
In Claude Cowork
Connected apps such as Google Drive, Gmail, Microsoft 365 and Slack supply information while Claude works. Plugins bundle skills and connectors for a role. |
In Task Machine
Install services from the Connectors catalog or add a custom connection through an API, a command-line tool or Model Context Protocol. Assign each connection to the agents that need it. |
| Pricing |
In Claude Cowork
Cowork is included in paid Claude plans. Direct website pricing for Pro is $20 billed monthly or $200 billed upfront annually, before tax. |
In Task Machine
Usage based, from $29 a month before tax. The whole payment becomes usage that your workspace shares, with no base fee. |
A fact we cannot find or cannot check is left out, and prices can change after the date shown. Task Machine publishes this comparison and is an interested party. Claude Cowork is named only to identify it, and there is no relationship between the two companies. Has something changed? Tell us.
You may stay with Claude Cowork if
You may stay with Claude Cowork if you already pay for Claude and mainly want research, spreadsheets or presentations returned in a conversation. Cowork is now becoming part of Claude, with the unified experience rolling out across accounts. Its desktop file access and Excel and PowerPoint editing may fit your personal document work without rebuilding it as a shared process.
What you give up
Task Machine's docs do not describe Claude's first-party Excel and PowerPoint add-ins or an importer for Cowork conversations, schedules and plugin bundles. You rebuild the selected job, reconnect its accounts and turn useful instructions into Library documents or agent guidance. Keep the existing office tools you still need.
There is no trial. Your first payment funds usage, and ordinary unsuccessful attempts still consume it. Review Usage and fees before moving a long research or reporting job.
How the switch works
- Keep original inputs and download the finished files you need from each Cowork session. Request Claude's data export from Settings, then Privacy on web or desktop. The export excludes original uploaded files, and Team or Enterprise members need the export setting enabled by an owner. Primary Owners export from Organization settings, then Data and privacy instead. Do not assume it is a complete Cowork archive. Copy the chosen job's prompt, project instructions, connector list and cadence separately.
- Create your workspace, upload reference files to the Library, and connect the accounts the job needs. Verify which folders and records the new connections can read before relying on them.
- Start with one job, such as a Monday report. Choose a Playbook or create a Task with an agent owner. Use a Workflow when the job needs fixed steps, branches or verifier checks. Recreate the expected format and source requirements from your retained instructions.
- Choose Supervised autonomy, keep sending or publishing behind approval, and test with copied inputs. Review the draft and its evidence in your Inbox before allowing external actions.
- Set the replacement's schedule and timezone. Before enabling live delivery, pause the original Cowork schedule so both systems do not send the same report. Keep your archive until you have checked a full replacement cycle.
Common questions
Is Claude Cowork going away?
Anthropic is combining Cowork and chat. The new experience puts both in one conversation and is rolling out gradually. A change of name alone is not a reason to move a working process.
What happens to my data?
Keep your original files and download the outputs you want to retain. Claude's export includes conversation and account data, but excludes original uploads. Cowork-specific export completeness is unverified. Task Machine's docs do not describe importing that archive, so use selected source files in the Library and rebuild the job separately.
How do the costs compare?
Cowork is included in paid Claude plans, while Task Machine is a separate usage-based service from $29 a month before tax, with no base fee and no trial. Compare the recorded usage of a representative job rather than equating a Claude allowance with Task Machine usage. You keep 100% of your revenue, Task Machine takes no cut and never custodies your accounts.
Does switching remove the need to review results?
Keep reviewing consequential work. Task Machine's Workflow verifier checks compare outputs with your requirements and return failed work with feedback, but an explicit Human approval step is still the place to decide whether a report should be sent.