Claude mobile vs web: features, differences, and performance in 2025

Claude delivers the same intelligence everywhere, but the experience changes by platform.

Claude’s Sonnet 4, Opus 4, and the new Opus 4.1 are available on both web and mobile. Model selection, multimodal capabilities, and reasoning depth are identical regardless of device. What changes is how these capabilities are delivered—voice interaction, camera capture, OS integrations, and workspace tools create distinct workflows depending on whether you use Claude in a browser or on a smartphone.

The same models are available on all platforms with identical reasoning power

Whether accessing Claude through the web app or the mobile app, users can choose between Sonnet 4 for fast, balanced performance and Opus 4 or Opus 4.1 for maximum depth and advanced agentic capabilities. The model picker works the same way across platforms, and there is no difference in context size, language fluency, or image understanding between devices.

Voice mode is a mobile-only experience for natural, hands-free conversations

On iOS and Android, Claude offers a full voice mode that supports speech input and spoken replies in a conversational format. Users can select from multiple voices and maintain ongoing voice exchanges without touching the device—ideal for multitasking or on-the-go use. The web version does not have a native voice mode, and it lacks integrated speech-to-text or read-aloud features.

Mobile enables instant camera capture and OS-level shortcuts

The mobile app integrates directly with the device camera, allowing users to take photos or select existing images for Claude to analyze. On iOS, Claude supports Shortcuts and App Intents such as “Analyze Photo with Claude,” making it possible to send content without opening the app. On Android, a home-screen widget lets users start a chat, dictate a query, or capture an image instantly. These system-level hooks make mobile uniquely fast for real-world, context-rich inputs.

File and image uploads work the same across web and mobile

Claude supports the same file types and limits on both platforms. Users can upload PDF, DOCX, CSV, TXT, HTML, RTF, EPUB, JSON, and images in JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP formats. Each file can be up to 30 MB, with images supported up to 8000×8000 pixels. Multiple files can be attached to a single conversation, and processing accuracy is identical across devices.

Web search with cited sources is consistent across devices

Claude’s native web search works on both mobile and web. Users can toggle it on or off in settings and request real-time, sourced information. On desktop, citations can be previewed with hover actions; on mobile, tapping opens the source. The underlying search and citation system produces the same results across all devices.

Artifacts are available everywhere, but web gives more space for complex work

Artifacts, Claude’s dedicated workspace for code, formatted documents, and interactive apps, are supported on both web and mobile. On the web interface, artifacts appear in a split-pane layout next to the chat, making them easier to review, edit, and share in long sessions. On mobile, artifacts are presented in a compact view suitable for quick edits and on-the-go reference.

Project creation and management are better on the web

Claude’s Projects feature—complete with knowledge bases, custom instructions, and team sharing—is fully supported on the web version for creation, configuration, and file ingestion. On mobile, users can open and work within existing projects but have fewer tools for initial setup and bulk management, making desktop the better choice for building large-scale workspaces.

Advanced integrations and developer tools are web-focused

Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) connects Claude to third-party tools like GitHub, Notion, Google Drive, and secure internal systems. These integrations are configured and used in the desktop/web environment, often within Claude Desktop or Claude Code. The mobile app is a client for conversation and retrieval but does not provide direct access to MCP setup or connector management.

Notifications, widgets, and quick-launch tools give mobile unique speed

On mobile, Claude can send push notifications and integrate into system widgets or quick actions. iOS users can invoke Claude through Siri Shortcuts; Android users can launch chats or analyses directly from the home screen. The web version does not have native OS notification support, relying instead on browser alerts.

Listen and dictation features are only in the mobile voice mode

On mobile, voice mode includes text-to-speech output for Claude’s replies and speech recognition for queries. This allows fully verbal interaction without touching the screen. The web platform lacks this capability, making the browser experience more text-bound.

Offline mode is unavailable on all platforms

Claude requires an active internet connection to operate. Neither mobile nor web supports offline inference or cached conversations. All reasoning, search, and file analysis happen in the cloud.

Each platform plays to different strengths in professional workflows

The mobile app excels at fast, context-rich interactions—voice conversations, instant photo capture, and quick OS-triggered queries. It’s ideal for real-time scenarios like field reporting, travel, or meeting-based brainstorming. The web version shines for long-form, structured work—multi-file document analysis, project setup, artifact development, and integration with enterprise toolchains. Together, they provide a complete, synchronized environment for Claude users.

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