Claude Code vs claude.ai chat: which to use when

They're optimized for different workflows. When to use chat (claude.ai) Open-ended questions. "Explain how database indexing works." "What are the tradeoffs between microservices and a monolith?" Chat is better for learning, explaining, and exploring ideas without a specific output format. Document review. Paste a spec, architecture doc, or PR description and ask for feedback. Chat handles this well without needing tool use. Brainstorming. "Give me 10 ways this API could be attacked." Back-and-forth idea generation without touching a codebase. When you're not in front of your terminal.