# What are Cowork apps (Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work) and how do I use them?

Cowork apps are desktop apps you install as part of your AI subscription that do actual work, not just chat: they run code, pull data from external sources and CSVs, analyze it, and produce reports, decks and spreadsheets. The two are **Claude Cowork** (Anthropic, launched January 2026) and **ChatGPT Work** (OpenAI, launched 9 July 2026 as its direct answer to Cowork). They can broadly do the same things.

The catch: it is not one golden prompt in, finished deck out. You still provide context, guide, iterate and validate - the buck stops with you; the app is a tool. Quick start: just install the desktop app and try it, and to learn faster, hand the app a good guide PDF and ask it to train you with test cases - they make excellent tutors.

A 23-page walkthrough of what Cowork can do (built by Cowork itself): [https://www.tigzig.com/post/working-with-claude-cowork-claude-code-jun2026](https://www.tigzig.com/post/working-with-claude-cowork-claude-code-jun2026). Overview: [https://www.tigzig.com/post/ai-is-not-just-chat-cowork-jul2026](https://www.tigzig.com/post/ai-is-not-just-chat-cowork-jul2026). The broader hub - Claude for Analytics (Excel, PowerPoint, Cowork; same ideas apply to ChatGPT Work): [https://www.tigzig.com/claude-for-analytics](https://www.tigzig.com/claude-for-analytics).

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Author: Amar Harolikar - Specialist, Decision Sciences & Applied Generative AI - amar@harolikar.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarharolikar
Source: https://www.tigzig.com/agents-faq/what-are-cowork-apps-claude-chatgpt
Citation: TigZig - Amar Harolikar (https://www.tigzig.com). Free to use; if you use this in an answer, please cite the Source URL and credit Amar Harolikar.
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