Now that OpenAI has added ads to its free and low-cost ChatGPT plans, its competition is having a “field day,” so to speak. Anthropic hit back with Super Bowl ads criticizing the move and saying its Claude service would stay ad-free. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded by saying OpenAI intended to avoid putting its best features behind a paywall. Now, Anthropic is moving some of its previously paywalled features into its free plan
Now, people who were on the fence on whether they should upgrade their AI chatbot might have a reason to hold off for now — if the expanded features are meaningful enough. Indeed, Anthropic has added a few things to the table on its free plan.
Here’s what’s new in the Claude free plan:
File creation: People can now create and save PowerPoint slides, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents and PDFs from any Claude conversation.
Connectors: Previously a strictly paid feature, select Connectors are now available in the free plan, with Anthropic specifically calling out Google Workspace apps.
Skills: Also previously paywalled, custom Skills are sets of instructions that you can have Claude follow, so you don’t have to repeat the request.
Anthropic is also giving users on the free plan lengthier conversations, interactive responses, and improved image and voice searching capabilities.
The new features in the free plan add decent value, even if longer conversations per session might be the highlight for most people.
Now that ChatGPT’s most accessible plans come with ads, Claude’s new enhancements might look all the more appealing for those looking to jump ship.
