Caipi vs Claude.ai: Same Brain, Different Body

Here’s something that might seem confusing at first: Caipi uses Claude under the hood. So if you already have a Claude subscription, why would you use Caipi?

The answer is simple: Claude.ai is Claude in a browser. Caipi is Claude on your computer. Same intelligence, vastly different capabilities.

Claude.ai: The Web Experience

Claude.ai is Anthropic’s web interface for Claude. It’s polished, fast, and accessible from any device. You can have conversations, upload files, and get Claude’s thoughtful responses.

But it runs in a browser, which means:

• Files must be uploaded manually
• Claude can’t see your file system
• Commands can’t be executed
• Each conversation is relatively isolated
• You copy-paste results into other apps

This is perfectly fine for many tasks. If you’re writing, brainstorming, or asking questions, Claude.ai is excellent.

Caipi: Claude with Capabilities

Caipi is a native Mac application that connects to Claude through Claude Code—Anthropic’s agent framework. This gives Claude the ability to:

• Browse and read your local files
• Run terminal commands (with your approval)
• Make edits across multiple files
• Maintain project-based context
• Preview changes before applying them

It’s still Claude’s intelligence. But instead of being limited to conversation, it can take action.

A Practical Example

Let’s say you have a folder of research PDFs and you want to extract key insights into a summary document.

With Claude.ai:

1. Upload each PDF (hope they’re not too large)
2. Ask Claude to summarize
3. Copy the summaries
4. Paste into a document
5. Repeat for each file

With Caipi:

1. “Summarize all the PDFs in ~/Research/project-x and create a summary.md file”
2. Review the generated summary
3. Done

Same Claude. Different workflow.

When Claude.ai Makes Sense

• You’re on a device without Caipi (phone, Windows, Linux)
• You want a quick conversation without project context
• You’re collaborating and need to share a conversation link
• The task is purely conversational (writing, ideation, Q&A)

When Caipi Makes Sense

• You’re working with local files on your Mac
• The task involves running scripts or commands
• You want project-based sessions with persistent context
• You’re tired of copying between Claude and other apps
• You want to preview and approve changes before they happen

The Technical Bit

Caipi uses Claude Code, which is Anthropic’s official agentic framework. This means:

• Your Claude Pro or Max subscription works with Caipi
• Conversations go directly to Anthropic (Caipi doesn’t store them)
• You get Claude’s full capabilities, not a limited API

Caipi is essentially a native interface for Claude Code, replacing the terminal with a visual experience.

Do You Need Both?

Many people use both, depending on context:

• Claude.ai when mobile or doing quick lookups
• Caipi when at their Mac doing real work

They complement each other. Claude.ai is your portable assistant. Caipi is your desktop powerhouse.

The Bottom Line

If you use Claude.ai and wish it could “just access that file” or “just run that command”—Caipi is the answer. Same Claude brain, but with hands.

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Caipi requires a Claude Pro or Max subscription. It’s a one-time purchase that gives you a native Mac experience for Claude’s agent capabilities.

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