Anthropic has recently introduced a web-based application for its AI-driven coding assistant, Claude Code, enabling developers to create and manage multiple AI coding agents directly from their browsers. This expansion is accessible to subscribers of Anthropic’s Pro plan at $20 per month, as well as the Max plans priced at $100 and $200 per month. Users can access Claude Code via the claude.ai website by selecting the Code tab or through the Claude iOS application.
This development signifies Anthropic’s strategic move to transition Claude Code beyond its original command-line interface (CLI), aiming to provide developers with more versatile and accessible tools. By offering a web-based platform, Anthropic anticipates that developers will be more inclined to deploy AI coding agents across various environments.
The AI coding tool market has become increasingly competitive, with major players like Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic each offering advanced solutions, many of which are web-based. Despite this competition, Claude Code has experienced significant growth, with its user base expanding tenfold since its broader release in May. The tool now contributes over $500 million to Anthropic’s annual revenue.
Cat Wu, a product manager at Anthropic, attributes much of Claude Code’s success to the company’s AI models, which have garnered favor among developers in recent years. Wu also emphasizes the team’s effort to infuse an element of enjoyment into the product.
Looking ahead, Anthropic plans to continue expanding Claude Code’s availability across various platforms, while maintaining the terminal as the primary interface for their AI coding product. Wu states, As we look forward, one of our key focuses is making sure the CLI product is the most intelligent and customizable way for you to use coding agents. But we’re continuing to put Claude Code everywhere, helping it meet developers wherever they are. Web and mobile are a big step in this direction.
Notably, Anthropic reports that 90% of the Claude Code product itself is generated by the company’s AI models. Wu, who has a background in engineering, mentions that she seldom writes code manually, instead focusing on reviewing Claude Code’s outputs.
The evolution of AI coding tools has shifted from simple autocomplete functions to more autonomous agents like Claude Code, allowing developers to manage AI coding assistants more effectively. However, this transition has not been universally embraced. Some studies indicate that certain engineers experience decreased efficiency when using AI coding tools, potentially due to time spent prompting and awaiting AI responses, as well as challenges in handling complex codebases.
Despite these challenges, companies like Anthropic continue to advance AI coding agents. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has predicted that AI will soon be responsible for writing 90% of code for software engineers. While this may already be the case within Anthropic, broader adoption across the industry may take additional time.
