OpenComputer vs Claude Code on the web

Claude Code on the web is Anthropic's own way to run Claude Code in the cloud: each session runs on an Anthropic-managed VM, started from claude.ai/code, the Claude apps, the CLI or Slack, and it is included in a paid Claude plan. OpenComputer runs the same Claude Code agent (and Codex) on a cloud Linux machine per Slack workspace, driven from a shared Slack thread or an API, and billed per Slack workspace for work minutes.

OpenComputer is not a replacement for Claude Code. It runs Claude Code, signed in with your own Claude subscription if you like. The difference is everything around the agent: where the machine lives, how a team hands it work, what stays warm between tasks, and how it is billed.

If you are one developer already paying for Claude Pro or Max, Claude Code on the web is the simpler pick: the cloud VM costs nothing extra. If a team wants to hand work to an agent in Slack, steer it together and pay per workspace, OpenComputer fits.

At a glance

What is Claude Code on the web?

Claude Code on the web runs Claude Code sessions in an isolated, Anthropic-managed VM instead of on your machine, so they keep going after you close the laptop. You start a session from claude.ai/code, the Code tab in the Claude mobile apps, the desktop app, or the terminal with claude --cloud, and you can pull a session back to your terminal with --teleport. Claude pushes its changes to a branch, you review the diff and create a pull request, and an optional Auto-fix mode watches the PR and pushes fixes for CI failures and review comments.

Each session gets Ubuntu 24.04 with 4 vCPUs, 16 GB of RAM and 30 GB of disk, with Docker, PostgreSQL and Redis preinstalled. A cloud environment sets network access, secrets and a setup script whose result is cached for later sessions. It works with Claude models only and requires a claude.ai subscription sign-in, not an API key, Bedrock or Vertex. Team and Enterprise organizations can also route sessions to self-hosted environments on their own infrastructure, in public beta.

What is OpenComputer?

OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex in its own cloud, and you hand them work by mentioning @Computer in a Slack thread or calling the API from your code. Each Slack workspace gets its own cloud Linux machine, sized to its plan. Every thread works in its own copy of the repos on its own branch, so parallel requests don't collide. Workspaces resume warm, with the repository, dependencies and build caches already in place.

@Computer reads the code, runs the commands and tests, then opens a pull request that says what changed, why, and how it was checked, with a link back to the thread. UI changes come with a screenshot and a preview link. OpenComputer has no agent harness of its own: the agent doing the work is Claude Code or Codex.

Key differences

Same agent, different cloud

Both products run the Claude Code harness on a cloud Linux machine. With Claude Code on the web, Anthropic runs a VM per session, the conversation and the agent, and you get the tightest fit with the rest of Claude Code: the same CLI, --cloud and --teleport, subagents, hooks and plugins. With OpenComputer, each Slack workspace gets one cloud machine where every thread works in its own copy of the repos on its own branch, and the agent can be Claude Code or Codex, per request. If you want every session isolated in its own VM, Claude Code on the web gives you that.

One developer's sessions or a shared thread

Claude Code on the web is built around your own sessions, across web, mobile, desktop and terminal. Its Slack integration for Pro and Max plans starts a session from an @Claude mention, works with GitHub only and creates one PR per session; Team and Enterprise workspaces use Claude Tag instead. On OpenComputer the Slack thread is the unit of work: everyone in it sees every file @Computer opens and every command it runs, anyone can steer it, and conventions one person explains apply to later requests. The thread records who asked for each change and why.

What stays between tasks

On Claude Code on the web, an idle session's VM pauses with its files saved and the next message restores it. A paused VM can later be reclaimed, and reopening then gives a fresh VM with the conversation restored but running background work lost. Setup is reused through a filesystem cache that is rebuilt after about seven days. OpenComputer keeps each workspace's repository, installed dependencies and build caches on its machine, so workspaces resume warm without a setup step.

Models and billing

Claude Code on the web counts toward your Claude plan's usage limits, with no separate charge for the VM, and parallel sessions use those limits faster. OpenComputer can use the same Claude subscription, a ChatGPT subscription for Codex, your own API key, or its own tokens at API prices with no markup. When a subscription hits its limit you choose whether it switches to OpenComputer tokens until the reset or stops and waits. You pay OpenComputer separately for work minutes.

Pricing compared

As of October 2026, Claude Code on the web is included in paid Claude plans: Pro at $20 a month billed monthly ($17 a month billed annually), Max from $100 a month, and Team standard seats at $25 per seat per month billed monthly. It is not included on the Free plan. OpenComputer lists Pro at $20 a month with 2,000 work minutes and Max at $200 with 25,000, for the whole Slack workspace, with $0.01 per extra minute.

For one developer on Claude Pro, cloud sessions add $0. Using OpenComputer with that same subscription adds $20 a month for OpenComputer Pro, so the lab's own cloud is cheaper. For a team of five, Claude Team standard seats cost $125 a month and give each person their own cloud sessions. OpenComputer Pro is $20 a month for the whole workspace, covering about 33 hours of active agent work, plus the model: a Claude or ChatGPT subscription you already have, an API key, or OpenComputer tokens at API prices. The units differ: Claude plans meter usage limits per seat, while OpenComputer meters the minutes the agent spends working.

When to choose Claude Code on the web

• You are one developer, already on a Claude Pro or Max plan, and want cloud sessions at no extra cost.
• You live in the Claude Code CLI and want --cloud and --teleport to move work between your terminal and the cloud.
• You want Auto-fix to keep pushing fixes to a PR for CI failures and review comments.
• You want each session isolated in its own VM.
• You want web, desktop and mobile apps, or Team and Enterprise self-hosted runners.

When to choose OpenComputer

• Your team works in Slack and wants one shared thread where anyone can see and steer the agent.
• You want both Claude Code and Codex available from the same place.
• You want pull requests with the evidence attached, including a screenshot and preview link for UI work.
• You'd rather pay per workspace for active agent time than add seats, or you want to build your own agents, such as a background coding agent, on the same cloud.

FAQ

Is OpenComputer a Claude Code on the web alternative?

Yes, in the sense that both run Claude Code on a cloud machine so it keeps working without your laptop. OpenComputer runs the same Claude Code agent, plus Codex, on its own cloud, driven from a shared Slack thread or an API. It is not a different coding agent.

Can OpenComputer use my Claude subscription?

Yes. You can sign in with your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription and pay $0 to OpenComputer for the model, use your own API key, or use OpenComputer's tokens at API prices with no markup. Work minutes are billed separately per Slack workspace.

How much does Claude Code on the web cost?

There is no separate charge for the cloud VM. It is included in Claude Pro at $20 a month, Max from $100 a month, and Team and Enterprise plans with the right seats, and it counts toward your plan's usage limits. It is not available on the Free plan.

Does Claude Code on the web work in Slack?

Yes. Pro and Max users can mention @Claude in Slack to start a cloud session, with GitHub repositories only and one pull request per session. Team and Enterprise workspaces use Claude Tag for this. OpenComputer is Slack-first, with the whole thread able to see and steer the work.

Can I get a shell into the cloud machine?

Not on Claude Code on the web: Claude runs every command for you. On OpenComputer, @Computer shows every file it opens and every command it runs in the Slack thread. For programmatic access to persistent VMs, OpenComputer's Sandbox SDK is a separate product.

Sources

• Claude Code on the web
• Cloud environments
• Claude Code in Slack
• Self-hosted environments
• Claude pricing
• Claude Max plan