Claude
Anthropic's AI assistant — reads long documents and writes alongside you.
By Thiago Lourenço Martins
An assistant that reads, writes and reasons with you
Claude is an artificial intelligence tool created by the American company Anthropic. Think of it as a very capable junior assistant: you describe what you need in plain language — "review this contract and flag the risks", "draft a fee proposal", "explain this article to me" — and it delivers the result in seconds. The key difference from a search engine: it doesn't just find information, it reasons about what you give it and produces text ready to use.
The 80-page document nobody wants to open
A vendor contract. A rival firm's filing. A procurement notice packed with technical clauses. You know you need to read it — but even starting already costs you time.
Paste the text into Claude, ask "which clauses could put me at a disadvantage?" and get a structured analysis in seconds. No need to open the entire file — and no need to depend on anyone.
Claude supports very long documents in a single conversation, setting it apart from simpler chatbots.
How people from different fields use it
Pastes a contract draft and asks: "Which clauses expose me to risk?" Gets the analysis and uses it as the basis for review. Describes facts to draft an initial filing — Claude organizes the structure and suggests the legal framing.
Needs to draft a 2-page internal policy. Describes the objective to Claude and has a formatted draft in minutes. Also uses it to summarize long email threads before making a decision.
Receives a partnership proposal in legal language and asks Claude to explain it in plain terms before taking it to an attorney. Saves consulting time.
From zero to your first document analysis
- Go to claude.ai
In your browser on desktop or mobile. Nothing to install.
- Create an account or log in
Click "Sign up" (create account) or "Log in". You can use your email or sign in with Google.
the free plan is enough to get started - Start a new conversation
On the main screen, look for the "New chat" button in the upper-left corner or the pencil icon. A new chat window will open.
- Type your request in the text field
At the bottom of the screen, there is a field where you type normally. Be direct: "Summarize this text in 5 bullet points" or "Write a formal email requesting a deadline extension."
- To attach a file, use the paperclip icon
Next to the text field, look for the paperclip (attachment) icon or a "+" icon. Select a PDF, Word, or text file. Claude will read it and respond based on its contents.
pasting text directly works equally well - Send and refine in the same conversation
Press Enter or click the send button (arrow icon). If the response is not quite right, ask for an adjustment right after: "Make it more formal" or "Cut it to 3 paragraphs." Claude keeps the conversation context.
A ready-made prompt for lawyers
You are a legal assistant. Analyze the contract below and do the following:
1. List the 5 clauses that pose the greatest risk to me (the contracting party).
2. For each clause, explain the risk in plain language — no legal jargon.
3. Suggest alternative wording that better protects my interests.
4. Note any important omission: something the contract should contain but does not.
[Paste the contract text here]
You get a structured analysis ready to use as a basis for review — without having to read the entire contract first.
Tips & real limitations
Do this
- Be specific in your request: instead of "summarize this," say "summarize in 5 bullet points for a non-lawyer client."
- If the response is not quite right, ask for adjustments in the same conversation — "make it more formal" or "cut it in half." No need to start over.
- Use Projects to separate conversations by client or topic — easy to pick up where you left off.
Real limitations
- No real-time internet access on the free plan. It does not know about recent court decisions or legislation updated last month.
- Can get specific facts wrong — case numbers, statutes, dates. Always verify specific citations in official sources before using them in a filing.
- Message limits on the free plan: once you hit the daily limit, you will need to wait until the next day or subscribe to Claude Pro.
A Portuguese-language tutorial to go further
* Independent suggestion, chosen for content quality. We have no relationship or sponsorship with the channel.
Bring a real problem to Claude right now
Take a difficult email you need to reply to or a contract clause that confused you. Paste it into Claude and ask: "How should I respond to this professionally and directly?" or "Explain this clause in plain language."
It worked if you get a clear response in under 15 seconds — and can use the result without rewriting everything from scratch.
The prices, no small print
The 2026 free plan is surprisingly complete. The free claude.ai account already includes the new model (Claude Sonnet 5), web search, file uploads, Projects and memory. What's limited isn't features — it's how much you can use. And one detail that stings: paid plans are USD only.
US$ 0 — Claude Sonnet 5 as default, web search, upload PDF/Word, Projects and memory. No card.
US$ 20/mo (or US$ 17/mo billed yearly) — much more usage, Claude Code and creation tools. In dollars.
from US$ 100/mo — 5x to 20x more usage and early access to new features.
US$ 20/person/mo billed yearly — for teams of 5 to 150 people, with more usage than Pro.
Mind the exchange rate: Anthropic only charges in dollars — there is no official price in reais. Official prices as of July 2026 (claude.com/pricing).
Who Claude is a great fit for
It's a great fit if you…
- work with long documents — lawyers, accountants, anyone dealing with contracts, bids, opinions. It's where it shines most.
- write a lot at work and want a quality proofreader in Portuguese: tricky emails, proposals, internal policies, reports.
- get a document in legalese and want it explained in plain language before paying for consulting. Or just want to try a top-tier AI for free.
Skip it if you…
- need to create images, art or video — Claude doesn't do anything visual. Try Canva AI, ChatGPT or Gemini instead.
- use AI all day and don't want to pay: the free plan's ~5-hour window fills up fast, and the paid plan is in dollars.
- mainly want to research news and facts with cited sources in real time — Perplexity is more direct for that.
Claude vs ChatGPT (and the others)
The question that comes up most is this: Claude or ChatGPT? The truth is they don't compete head-on. Claude wins at long-form, careful writing; ChatGPT wins at being an all-rounder — images, voice, a bit of everything. If you can, keep both on free. Beyond that pair, worth knowing:
Wins when you want an AI that does everything: generates images, has voice and a huge tutorial ecosystem.
Wins if your life is in Gmail, Docs and Android — native Google integration and a generous free tier.
The verdict, now that you've seen it all
score 4.3/5
Put it all together and the conclusion is simple: for reading and writing long text, Claude is the best in its class — and it got even better with the 2026 free plan, which includes Sonnet 5 and web search at no cost. It's not perfect. The free limit is tight and somewhat opaque, paid is dollar-only, and it generates no images at all. I wouldn't pick Claude to 'do everything.' But for serious documents and writing, it's the first one I open.
Tested and checked against official sources on July 2, 2026 (Sonnet 5 launched June 30, 2026).
What's in its favor
- Free plan is complete: web search, document upload, Projects and the newest model (Sonnet 5), no payment or card.
- Unbeatable with long documents: reads contracts, bids and long reports at once and returns an organized analysis.
- No ads — Anthropic has publicly committed to keeping Claude ad-free.
- You can opt out of having your chats train the AI, and it responds well in Portuguese.
Where it weighs you down
- Free plan limit is tight and opaque: press estimates 15 to 40 messages every 5 hours, no official number. Attach a big document and you hit the cap fast.
- Dollar-only billing: US$ 20/mo on Pro, no price in reais — the final cost depends on exchange rate and taxes.
- No images or video — it's text, analysis and code. For visual creation, you need another tool.
- The best tools (Claude Code, Research mode, the Opus model) all sit behind the paid plan. And it still gets dates and legal citations wrong with total confidence — always double check.
Quick questions about Claude
Is Claude free?
Yes. The free plan on claude.ai includes the new Claude Sonnet 5, web search, document uploads and Projects.
Do I need a credit card to sign up?
No. Just email or a Google account. A card is only needed for Pro (US$ 20/mo, billed in dollars).
Does it work in Portuguese?
Yes. You write in plain Portuguese and it replies in Portuguese — including analyzing contracts and documents in the language.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. There are official iPhone and Android apps, plus it works in the mobile browser.
What's the difference between Claude and ChatGPT?
Roughly: Claude is stronger with long text and documents; ChatGPT is more of a 'Swiss army knife' — images, voice, a bit of everything. Both have free tiers, so try both.
Does Claude search the web?
Yes, today even the free plan has web access, so it can check recent information when needed.
Does Claude use my conversations to train the AI?
By default it may, but you can turn this off in account settings (opt-out).
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