--- title: "Reason vs Claude Code: Differences, and How to Use Both | Reason Machines" description: "Reason vs Claude Code: where each runs, models, schedules, Slack, limits and pricing, from Reason's docs and Anthropic's. Reason can run Claude models on your Claude plan, so you can use both." url: "https://reasonmachines.com/guides/reason-vs-claude-code" section: "Coding agent guides" --- # Reason vs Claude Code Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent for the terminal, IDE, desktop and web, built around Claude models and paid for with a Claude plan; Reason is an always-on teammate and coding agent with its own cloud computer per Session, memory, Loops and Slack, running the model you pick. You can use both: Reason can run Claude models on your connected Claude Pro or Max plan, and keeps going on other accounts or Reason credits when it hits its limit. Updated Nov 2026 [Start with Reason](https://reasonmachines.com/) on the web, or [download Reason for macOS](https://reasonmachines.com/download). ## Use Claude Code and Reason together 1. **Open Reason on the web or the Mac app**: Sign in at reasonmachines.com, or download the Reason app for macOS from reasonmachines.com/download. Both open the same Sessions. Sending work to Reason needs a Pro or Max plan. 2. **Connect your Claude plan**: In Settings › Models, choose Connect Claude and sign in with your Claude Pro or Max plan. Reason can then run Claude models on it; that plan's own five-hour and weekly limits still apply. 3. **Hand Reason the work that should keep going**: Push the branch you were on in Claude Code and tell Reason in the composer what's done and what's next. It continues on its cloud computer, with your laptop closed, and opens the pull request. 4. **Keep it working when you're away**: Mention Reason in Slack to hand it a task from a thread, and set up a Loop for work that repeats, such as a nightly dependency check. Its Sessions run on Reason's cloud computers, so they keep going with your laptop closed. ## Reason and Claude Code side by side | | Reason | Claude Code | | --- | --- | --- | | Made by | Reason Machines | Anthropic | | Where it runs | Its own cloud computer per Session, or your computer through the Mac app | Your computer, or Claude Code cloud sessions | | Models | Reason's models, plus Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Copilot and other accounts you connect | Claude models | | Memory | Across Sessions | CLAUDE.md instruction files | | Schedules | Loops: schedule, webhook, GitHub event or Slack message | Scheduled tasks in research preview; cloud tasks at most hourly | | Slack | Mention Reason in a channel or message it | @Claude starts a cloud session | | At a usage limit | Moves the turn to your other accounts, then Reason credits | Stops; usage credits, API credits or a bigger plan | | Apps | Web, Mac, iOS, Slack, command line | Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop, web, mobile | | Pricing | Pro $50, Max $200 a month | Claude Pro $20, Max $100, Ultra $200 a month | | Open source | No | No | From Reason's docs and Anthropic's pages, checked Nov 2, 2026. There is no head-to-head public benchmark of the two. On Artificial Analysis's Coding Agent Index v2.0, Claude Code on Opus 5.5 scores 62; Reason's published result is on the earlier v1.5, where it scored 65.1 against Codex's 62.5 on GPT-6 Astra. ## When to use which Use Claude Code when you're at your desk and want Claude in your terminal or editor. Use Reason for work that should run without you: from Slack, on a Loop, on a cloud computer, or on another model when Claude is out. Reason reads the same CLAUDE.md files in your repository, and Claude Code can connect to Reason over MCP from Settings › Channels. Hit your limit? Reason keeps going on your other connected accounts or Reason credits. - [Claude Code vs Cursor](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-vs-cursor.md) - [Claude Code alternatives, free ones included](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-alternatives.md) - [Never hit a usage limit mid-task](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/usage-limit-fallback.md) - [Can Claude Code run overnight?](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-overnight.md) - [Reason vs Codex](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/reason-vs-codex.md) - [Claude Code competitors](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-competitors.md) ## Sources (checked Nov 2, 2026) - [Claude Code docs: overview](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview) - [Claude Code docs: Claude Code on the web](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web) - [Claude Code docs: scheduled tasks](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/scheduled-tasks) - [Claude Code docs: Claude Code in Slack](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/slack) - [Anthropic: Claude plans and pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) - [Anthropic: How do usage and length limits work?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11647753-how-do-usage-and-length-limits-work) - [Artificial Analysis: Claude Code vs Codex](https://artificialanalysis.ai/agents/coding-agents/comparisons/claude-code-vs-codex) - [Reason: Reason 1.1 Coding Agent Index results (Oct 10, 2026)](https://reasonmachines.com/blog/introducing-reason-agent-1-1.md) - [Reason docs: plans](https://docs.reasonmachines.com/docs/plans) ## Questions ### Is Reason better than Claude Code? There's no head-to-head public benchmark. Claude Code on Opus 5.5 scores 62 on Artificial Analysis's Coding Agent Index v2.0; Reason's result is on v1.5. Reason adds a cloud computer per Session, Loops, Slack and model choice; try both on your own task. ### Can Reason use my Claude subscription? Yes. In Settings › Models, Connect Claude with your Pro or Max plan, and Reason can run Claude models on it. Your plan's own usage limits still apply. ### Does Reason read CLAUDE.md? Yes. In a repository, Reason reads AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, CLAUDE.local.md and other agents' instruction files, and finds skills in .claude/skills. ### Can I use Reason from Claude Code? Yes. Claude Code can connect to Reason over MCP; Settings › Channels shows how. ### What does Reason cost? Pro is $50 a month and Max $200 a month per person, with usage measured in credits; top-ups keep work going when a week's usage runs out. Models you run on your own connected subscriptions or API keys are billed by that provider and keep that provider's limits. ### Is Reason affiliated with these vendors? No. Reason is built by Reason Machines and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic, OpenAI, Anysphere, Cognition, GitHub, Google or xAI. Facts about their products come from their own pages, linked under Sources. ## More guides - [Claude Code alternatives, free ones included](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-alternatives.md) - [Reason vs Codex](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/reason-vs-codex.md) - [Never hit a usage limit mid-task](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/usage-limit-fallback.md) - [Claude Code vs Cursor](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-vs-cursor.md) - [Claude Code competitors](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-competitors.md) - [Can Claude Code run overnight?](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-overnight.md) - [All coding agent guides](https://reasonmachines.com/guides.md) - [Download Reason for macOS](https://reasonmachines.com/download)