What is Claude Duet?
Claude Duet is a research preview from Anthropic, announced on 21 October 2026, in which Claude works as a proactive agent. It sends you a morning brief from your connected apps, checks them every few hours, does tasks you ask for, and asks before it acts on your behalf. It runs on Claude Opus 5.5 in a cloud virtual machine with its own browser, so your phone or laptop does not need to stay on.
It is a separate app from the main Claude app, on iPhone, Android and claude.ai, open to Pro and Max subscribers in the US through a waitlist that admits people in waves. It is not yet on Team or Enterprise plans. It costs nothing extra and uses your plan's existing limits, background checks included.
Duet brings over the memory, skills and connectors from your Claude account and can use more than 6,000 connectors and plugins from Claude Marketplace. It buys things through Stripe's Link wallet with a one-time virtual card, or through Shopify's Shop Pay.
How much does Claude Duet cost?
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20/month | US only, waitlist, shares Pro limits |
| Max | $100 or $200/month | US only, waitlist, shares Max limits |
Included at no extra cost with Claude Pro ($20/month) and Max ($100 or $200/month) in the US during the research preview, via waitlist; uses the same five-hour and weekly limits as Claude chats, with one full limit reset for new users until 30 November 2026. Not on Team or Enterprise yet.
Is Claude Duet worth it?
Most of the stress in a busy inbox is not the work itself. It is not knowing which of forty messages actually needs you today.
Claude Duet starts there. Each morning it sends a short brief drawn from your connected apps, then checks them every few hours and messages you when it thinks something needs attention. You can also hand it jobs by text or voice in one running conversation: scheduling, drafting emails, a sales forecast, a small web app. It works in its own cloud machine with a browser, on Claude Opus 5.5, and it arrives already knowing the memory, skills and connectors from your Claude account.
Its safety rules are the strictest of the four agents we compared. Before it sends a message, pays, signs a document or deletes anything, it shows you the action, the destination and the full content, including every recipient. Some things are refused even if you approve them: trading securities, moving money between accounts, getting into someone else's account. Purchases go through Link with a one-time card that works only for that purchase, approved in your Link app, so your real card number is never shared. Anthropic says Duet never sees your passwords, cookies or sign-in tokens, and a separate classifier stops it sending card numbers or government IDs.
The catch: it is a waitlisted US preview, and it is not always watching. Because constant checking would burn through your plan limits, it looks every few hours, and Anthropic's own support article warns that something urgent can arrive between checks. Those checks and the morning brief count against the same five-hour and weekly limits as your chats, so a Pro plan at $20 a month can run short quickly. You cannot watch or take over its browser, choose a model, or connect Microsoft 365 yet. Duet's own articles say nothing specific about training; it inherits your Claude account's setting, under which Pro and Max chats may be used for training unless you opt out.
Our take: Duet is the agent to hand your inbox to if you would rather it waited for you than guessed. It is a good fit for a calm morning brief, and a poor one for anything that cannot wait three hours.
Where it earns its place
A sole-trader accountant in the US on Claude Max
Start each day knowing which client emails and invoices actually need me
Duet reads Gmail, Google Calendar and QuickBooks and sends a morning brief, then drafts replies that wait for approval. Max at $100 a month gives the background checks more headroom than Pro.
A two-person Shopify shop owner
Order packaging and supplies without handing over the company card
Duet confirms the item, you approve the spend in Link, and it pays with a one-time card that only works for that purchase; Shop Pay covers stores that use it.
A sales lead who lives in HubSpot and Docusign
Chase unsigned contracts and update the pipeline
Duet checks HubSpot and Docusign every few hours and prepares the reminder, but it will not send or sign without your sign-off, so time-critical deals still need you watching.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Join the waitlist with your Claude account email; when invited, install the app on iPhone or Android with the same email and sign in with your Claude account. Access can take a few minutes to appear.
- Integrations
- More than 6,000 connectors and plugins from Claude Marketplace, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack (with limits), QuickBooks, HubSpot, Docusign and Calendly; Link and Shop Pay for purchases. Microsoft 365 is not available yet.
- Data and privacy
- Duet keeps your conversation history and its memory until you delete or reset them, and disconnecting an app does not erase what it already learned. Duet runs on your consumer Claude account, where Free, Pro and Max chats may be used for training unless you opt out. Which AI tools train on your data?
- Cost at scale
- No extra charge during the preview; the real cost is plan headroom, since the morning brief and check-ins draw on the same five-hour and weekly limits as chats, and larger jobs like a financial model use more turns.
- Limits
- Checks happen every few hours rather than continuously; no phone calls or texts to other people; it can read but not change your work in Claude; only you can mark a task complete.
What's good
- Shows action, destination, full content and every recipient before acting
- Refuses securities trades and account-to-account transfers even with approval
- One-time virtual card per purchase through Link
- Never handles your passwords or sign-in tokens directly
- No extra charge on Pro or Max; brings over your Claude memory and connectors
What's not
- US-only research preview behind a waitlist
- Checks your accounts only every few hours
- Background checks count against your plan limits
- Cannot watch or take over its browser; no Microsoft 365 yet
- Not available on Team or Enterprise plans
Best for
US Claude Pro or Max subscribers who want a daily brief and help with routine admin, and who value strict approval rules over speed.
Claude Duet alternatives
Claude Duet: common questions
- Is Claude Duet worth it?
- No always-on agent is stricter about your money and messages, but for now Duet is the hardest to get and the slowest to notice things. We rate it 4.0 out of 5.
- How much does Claude Duet cost?
- Included at no extra cost with Claude Pro ($20/month) and Max ($100 or $200/month) in the US during the research preview, via waitlist; uses the same five-hour and weekly limits as Claude chats, with one full limit reset for new users until 30 November 2026. Not on Team or Enterprise yet.
- What are the downsides of Claude Duet?
- US-only research preview behind a waitlist; checks your accounts only every few hours; background checks count against your plan limits; cannot watch or take over its browser; no Microsoft 365 yet; not available on Team or Enterprise plans.
- Who is Claude Duet best for?
- US Claude Pro or Max subscribers who want a daily brief and help with routine admin, and who value strict approval rules over speed.
- How much does Claude Duet cost for a team or in production?
- No extra charge during the preview; the real cost is plan headroom, since the morning brief and check-ins draw on the same five-hour and weekly limits as chats, and larger jobs like a financial model use more turns.
- Is Claude Duet safe for company data?
- Duet keeps your conversation history and its memory until you delete or reset them, and disconnecting an app does not erase what it already learned. Duet runs on your consumer Claude account, where Free, Pro and Max chats may be used for training unless you opt out.
- What are the best Claude Duet alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are OpenAI dots, Meta Muse, Grok Bot, Lindy and Manus.
Answers checked Oct 26, 2026.
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