Search+ vs Claude Projects
Claude Projects are self-contained workspaces in Claude with their own chat history, knowledge base and instructions. They accept documents, text and code, are available on free accounts (up to five projects), and on paid plans switch to retrieval when a project grows large. Search+ is a dedicated document workspace, with OCR for scanned pages, whose answers cite the excerpt behind each claim. Choose Claude Projects if you want Claude itself, with code and writing, around your files. Choose Search+ if the job is reading a document collection and checking every answer against the source.
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At a glance
| Search+ | Claude Projects | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A web app for asking questions across document workspaces, with cited answers | Workspaces in Claude with their own chats and knowledge base |
| Files you can add | PDF, Word and Excel files; OCR for scanned pages; up to 5 GB per file | Documents, text, code and other files |
| Free use | Create an account without payment details; plans on searchplus.ai | Free accounts can create up to five projects |
| Large projects | Files up to 5 GB each; narrow any question to one document | Paid plans switch to retrieval, expanding capacity up to 10x |
| Sharing | Team plan available | Team and Enterprise plans share projects within the organization |
How Search+ and Claude Projects differ
Claude is a general assistant; Search+ is a document workspace
A Claude project gives you Claude, with writing, analysis and code, plus the project's files. Search+ is built only to answer questions about the documents in a workspace, with citations. If your project includes code or drafting, Claude covers more of it.
Search+ makes citations the default output
Every Search+ answer cites the source document inline, and you can open the citation to read the excerpt, with page or section references when the document has them. Search+ does not invent locations a document does not contain.
Both keep project instructions
Claude lets you set project instructions to tailor tone or perspective. Search+ Workspace Context does the same for a workspace and applies to every question. Neither has an edge here; pick by what the instructions control.
Claude scales project knowledge and shares it on team plans
On paid Claude plans, projects switch to retrieval as knowledge nears context limits, expanding capacity up to 10x, and Team and Enterprise plans share projects across an organization.
Search+ vs Claude Projects, feature by feature
Checked against public pages on October 11, 2026. "Not covered here" means the pages we checked do not say; it is not a claim that the feature is missing.
| Topic | Search+ | Claude Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Files | PDF, Word and Excel files; OCR for scanned pages; up to 5 GB per file | Documents, text, code, other files |
| Citations | Inline citations; open one to read the supporting excerpt | Not covered in the help article we checked |
| Question scope | Whole workspace or one document | Project knowledge base |
| Standing instructions | Workspace Context, applied to every question | Project instructions |
| Saved work | Workspaces and conversation history are saved | Project chat history |
| Sharing and teams | Team plan available | Team and Enterprise plans |
| Export and outputs | No export | Not covered here |
| Where it runs | Browser only | Not covered here |
| Price | See current plans on searchplus.ai | Free; Pro $17 to $20 a month; Max from $100 |
As of 2026-10-11
Sources: What are projects? (Claude Help Center); Claude pricing
Pricing
Claude prices as of October 2026, from claude.com/pricing. For Search+ plans, see the pricing section on the Search+ homepage.
| Product | Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | Free | $0 per month | Up to five projects |
| Claude | Pro | $17 billed annually ($200 a year), or $20 monthly per month | Retrieval for large project knowledge |
| Claude | Max | From $100 per month | More usage than Pro |
Prices as of 2026-10
About each product
Search+
Search+ is a web app for working with documents. You create a workspace for each project, upload PDF, Word and Excel files, and ask questions across every document or narrow a question to one. Answers come with inline citations; open one to read the excerpt behind it. Workspace Context holds standing instructions that apply to every question, and workspaces and conversations are saved so you can pick up where you left off.
Claude Projects
Claude Projects are workspaces inside Anthropic's Claude with their own chat history and knowledge base. You upload documents, text, code or other files and set project instructions. Free users can create up to five projects; paid plans add retrieval for large projects, and Team and Enterprise plans add organization sharing. A new version of projects is in beta for some Pro and Max users.
Which one fits your work
Choose Search+ when
- Your project is a collection of PDFs you need to read and question
- You want every answer cited to an excerpt you can open
- You want separate workspaces with their own standing rules
- You do not need code, drafting or general chat in the same place
Choose Claude Projects when
- Your project mixes documents with code, drafts or analysis
- You want Claude's general abilities around your files
- You need to share projects across a team on a Claude Team or Enterprise plan
- You want to start free with up to five projects
How to try both on the same documents
- Take a project with a handful of PDFs and one hard question.
- Add the documents to a Claude project and a Search+ workspace.
- Write the same instructions in Claude's project instructions and in Search+ Workspace Context.
- Ask the question in both and open the Search+ citations.
- Keep the tool whose answers you could check fastest.
Questions about Search+ and Claude Projects
Can I use Claude Projects for free?
What files can each tool take?
Which tool is better for checking citations?
What happens when a project gets large?
Sources
Recheck public pages before making a buying decision. Spotted an error? Tell us through the Search+ app and we will correct it.
Checked 2026-10-11
A workspace for the documents behind the project
Upload your documents, set your rules once, and read the excerpt behind every answer.
Start a workspace