Qiu vs Claude Cowork
Cowork is the agent mode inside the Claude app, working on your files and connectors. Qiu is a team of agents that works around the clock, runs on your Claude or ChatGPT, and talks to you on Telegram.
Reviewed: November 2026
15-day free trial, no cardTelegram and web
Two different ways to delegate
- You already pay for Claude (Pro from $20/mo, Max, Ultra or Team) and want an agent without buying another product. Cowork comes with the paid plans.
- Your work is in folders on your computer. The desktop app (in beta) reads and writes local files without you uploading anything.
- You need a lot of ready-made integrations. Claude's directory lists 1,059 connectors, and plugins combine skills, connectors and sub-agents in one install.
- Your company is already on Claude Team or Enterprise and needs admin controls such as access by team, spend limits and SIEM export.
- You want several specialist agents (sales, support, marketing) and a manager that coordinates them, instead of one assistant.
- You want to choose between Claude and ChatGPT. If you bring your own subscription, those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu.
- You want your agent to keep working on background goals 24/7 and pick them up again on its own after a restart.
- You want to reach it on Telegram or the web, and, on the Business plan, have your whole team use it with no per-seat fee.
Qiu and Claude Cowork, row by row
| Feature | Qiu | Claude Cowork |
|---|---|---|
| The agent | Coworkers, which are specialist agents for sales, support, marketing and so on, plus a coworker-manager that splits the work and coordinates it. Qiu drives a real browser and has a desktop app for Win/Mac/Linux (phase 1) that sees the screen and uses the mouse and keyboard. | Claude's agent, using the same agentic approach as Claude Code. It tries connectors first, then the browser, and uses your screen only as a last resort. Computer use is in research preview. |
| Where it runs | In Qiu's cloud, in Europe (Germany), 24/7. Background goals resume on their own after a restart. | In the cloud, in an isolated environment on Anthropic's servers. Tasks that touch your local files, browser or computer need the desktop app open and connected. |
| How you start | A 15-day free trial with no card. You talk to it on Telegram or the web. | You need a paid Claude plan. You use it in the desktop app (beta), on the web or on mobile. |
| Your team | Workspaces with members and permissions. Coworkers work together through consent routing and an orchestrator. | The Team plan covers 2 to 150 people (Cowork on web and mobile is in beta on Team). Admins control access, permissions and connectors. Sessions can't be shared, but artifacts can. |
| Connecting apps | API connectors for Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, GoHighLevel, banking through Ponto, Brevo and more. A real browser for sites without an API. Qiu also builds and publishes websites and apps, and posts to social media through GHL. | 1,059 connectors in Claude's directory (Google Drive, Gmail, Slack, Microsoft 365...), plus plugins and a built-in browser. |
| What you pay | Personal €29/mo, Pro €99/mo, Business €299/mo. Runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT cost nothing extra. See pricing. | Pro $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually), Max $100/mo, Ultra $200/mo, Team $25 per seat/mo ($20 billed annually). Multi-step tasks use more of your limits than quick questions. |
Claude prices in USD, taken from claude.com/pricing in November 2026. They may change.
What changes day to day
Work that keeps going
Cowork sessions run in the cloud and carry on after you close your laptop, but anything that touches your local files, browser or computer needs the desktop app open and connected. Qiu works 24/7 in the cloud, and after a restart, it resumes its tasks.
Memory
Cowork shares memory with Claude chat, and you can turn memory off for a task. Qiu works as a second brain with three layers: personal memory that carries across chats, separate memory for each group, and semantic memory.
Your agent's day
In Cowork you schedule tasks with /schedule at whatever frequency you want, and they run in the cloud with no device online. Qiu adds background goals it keeps working toward, plus routines and watches that react when something changes. Before anything sensitive or anything involving money, it sends you a "Confirm" card. When it hits a captcha, a code or a password, it asks you for it.
Your own AI and your apps
Cowork runs on Claude models within your plan's usage limits, and its connector catalog is much larger than Qiu's. Qiu lets you choose: connect your Claude or your ChatGPT, and those runs aren't billed again. It has connectors for the tools small businesses use most (Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, GoHighLevel, Ponto, Brevo), and it uses a real browser when a site has no API.
Switch in 3 steps
Connect your Claude to Qiu
Start the 15-day trial (no card) and link your Claude subscription. Whatever Qiu runs with it costs nothing extra.
Turn your scheduled tasks into routines
Describe each of your Cowork /schedule tasks to Qiu in plain words. It sets each one up as a routine or a watch that runs 24/7.
Connect your apps and choose what needs sign-off
Link Google, Microsoft 365 or Slack, set up one coworker for each area, and decide which actions need a "Confirm" first. Money decisions always need one.
What people ask us
Can I use my Claude subscription with Qiu?
Yes. Connect your Claude (or ChatGPT) and the runs Qiu makes with it cost nothing extra in Qiu. You only pay for your Qiu plan.
Cowork already has scheduled tasks. What does Qiu add?
Beyond timed tasks, Qiu has background goals and watches that act when something changes. Several specialist coworkers share the work through an orchestrator, and its goals keep going 24/7 and resume after a restart.
Which one is better at using a computer?
Computer use in Cowork is in research preview. Cowork prefers connectors and the browser, and asks permission before it accesses each app. Qiu drives a real browser (it signs in, fills in forms and makes purchases). It also has a desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux that sees the screen and uses the mouse and keyboard, for example in Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign. That desktop app is in phase 1.
What about my data?
Cowork runs in an isolated environment on Anthropic's servers. Qiu is a managed cloud service: it isn't software you can self-host. Before anything sensitive or any spending, it sends you a "Confirm" card.
Can I talk to it on WhatsApp?
Not yet. Today Qiu works on Telegram and the web. Cowork works in the Claude app on desktop, web and mobile.
What does Qiu offer a team?
The Business plan (€299/mo) is Qiu for your whole team, no limits: everyone on your team uses it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once, with your own AI (your Claude or ChatGPT). On Claude, the Team plan is billed per seat ($25/month, $20 billed annually).
From €29/mo
Every plan runs on your own AI: connect your Claude or your ChatGPT and those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu. Free trial and plan changes at /en/pricing.
Your personal AI for everyday use. Connect your Claude or your ChatGPT.
Your marketing and product team in one AI: builds and publishes websites and apps, with specialist coworkers and more capacity. Connect your Claude or your ChatGPT.
Qiu for your whole team, no limits: everyone on your team uses it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once, with your own AI (your Claude or ChatGPT).
Other comparisons
Put Qiu to work
Reserve your spot and start with one task. Qiu finishes it and you approve what matters.