OpenAI just launched Frontier. Anthropic already has Cowork running. Both promise the same thing: AI agents that work alongside your team like actual employees.
But here's the thing — they couldn't be more different in who they're built for, how much they cost, and when you can actually use them.
OpenAI Frontier is an enterprise-grade platform for building, deploying, and managing AI agents across your organization. It launched February 5, 2026, and treats AI agents like human employees — complete with onboarding, permissions, feedback loops, and shared business context. It's currently limited to select enterprise customers like HP, Oracle, State Farm, and Uber. Pricing? OpenAI won't say.
Claude Cowork is Anthropic's agentic workspace that launched January 12, 2026, as a research preview. It's available to all paid Claude users right now. Cowork lets you automate desktop-based tasks, use plugins for specialized workflows, and integrate with tools like Slack, Figma, and Asana — without writing code.
So which one should you bet on? That depends on your team size, budget, and how fast you need AI agents in production. Let's break it all down.
What Is OpenAI Frontier?
Think of Frontier as an operating system for AI coworkers inside large enterprises.
OpenAI designed it to solve a specific problem: agent sprawl. Companies have been deploying disconnected AI agents across departments, each siloed in what it can see and do. Frontier connects them into a unified platform with shared business context.
Here's what makes it different:
- Shared context layer — Frontier connects your CRM, data warehouse, ticketing tools, and internal apps into a semantic layer all agents can reference. Every AI coworker understands how your business operates.
- Agent onboarding — Just like new employees, AI agents go through onboarding. They learn institutional knowledge, internal language, and workflows.
- Built-in memory — Agents build memories from past interactions, improving performance over time.
- Multi-vendor support — This is big. Frontier works with OpenAI agents, but also agents from Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and third parties.
- Identity and permissions — Each AI coworker gets its own identity with explicit permissions and guardrails.
- Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) — OpenAI pairs their engineers with your team to help deploy agents in production.
The catch? Frontier is only available to a limited number of enterprise customers right now. OpenAI hasn't disclosed pricing, and according to TechCrunch, they declined to comment on costs.
If you're a startup or small team, you're not getting Frontier anytime soon.
What Is Claude Cowork?
Now here's where things get interesting for the rest of us.
Claude Cowork launched on January 12, 2026, and it's available as a research preview to all paid Claude users. No waitlist. No enterprise contract. Just sign up for a Claude Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan and start using it.
Cowork is designed to be a "computer agent" — it automates desktop-based tasks for non-technical users. Anthropic reportedly built the entire thing in about 10 days using Claude Code. That speed says something about where AI development is headed.
What you get with Cowork:
- Plugin ecosystem — As of January 30, 2026, Cowork supports 11 open-source plugins covering productivity, marketing, sales, data analysis, customer support, finance, legal, product management, and more.
- Custom plugins — Build your own using the Plugin Create tool, or upload custom ones.
- Workplace integrations — Slack, Figma, Asana, and Google Workspace are all embedded directly into the Claude interface.
- No-code automation — You don't need to be a developer. Describe what you want done, and Cowork handles it.
- Slash commands and sub-agents — Plugins bundle skills, connectors, and sub-agents for role-specific workflows.
The limitation? Cowork is still a research preview. It's impressive for individual and small team use, but it doesn't have the enterprise-grade agent management, identity systems, or multi-vendor orchestration that Frontier offers.
OpenAI Frontier vs Claude Cowork: Head-to-Head Comparison
Here's the side-by-side breakdown everyone's looking for:
| Feature | OpenAI Frontier | Claude Cowork |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Date | February 5, 2026 | January 12, 2026 |
| Target User | Large enterprises | Individuals and teams |
| Availability | Limited / invite-only | All paid Claude users |
| Pricing | Undisclosed (enterprise contracts) | Included with Claude Pro ($20/mo) |
| Multi-Vendor Agents | Yes (Google, Microsoft, Anthropic) | No (Claude only) |
| Shared Business Context | Yes — semantic layer across systems | Limited to conversation context |
| Plugin System | Not announced | 11 open-source plugins at launch |
| Workplace Integrations | CRM, data warehouses, ticketing (enterprise) | Slack, Figma, Asana, Google Workspace |
| Agent Identity & Permissions | Full identity system with guardrails | Basic (org-level controls on Team/Enterprise) |
| Memory | Built-in agent memory | Persistent memory (since Sept 2025) |
| Hands-On Support | Forward Deployed Engineers | Self-serve / docs |
Pricing: The Elephant in the Room
Here's where the picture gets really clear — and really frustrating if you're trying to budget.
OpenAI Frontier: No public pricing. Enterprise contracts only. Based on OpenAI's existing enterprise tier (ChatGPT Enterprise starts at roughly $60/user/month), expect Frontier to be significantly more expensive given the FDE support and platform capabilities. We're likely talking custom six-figure annual contracts.
Claude Cowork: Included with your existing Claude subscription. Claude Pro is $20/month. Claude Team is $25/user/month. Claude Enterprise has custom pricing but is far more accessible than a full platform play.
But here's what neither platform tells you: both lock you into their ecosystem's pricing model.
If you're using OpenAI's APIs behind the scenes, you're paying API rates — which can be 10-25x more expensive than using your own AI subscriptions directly. The same goes for building on Claude's API.
This is exactly where platforms like Serenities AI offer a different approach. Instead of paying enterprise API markup, Serenities lets you connect your own AI subscriptions — whether that's OpenAI, Anthropic, or others — and build apps, automations, and databases on top of them. The result? The same AI capabilities at a fraction of the cost, because you're paying subscription rates instead of per-token API rates.
Who Should Choose What?
Let's cut through the marketing and get practical.
Choose OpenAI Frontier if:
- You're a large enterprise (1,000+ employees)
- You need multi-vendor agent orchestration across departments
- You have the budget for enterprise contracts and dedicated engineering support
- Agent governance and compliance are non-negotiable
- You're already deep in the OpenAI ecosystem
Choose Claude Cowork if:
- You're an individual, freelancer, or small-to-mid team
- You want AI agents today, not after an enterprise sales cycle
- You prefer Claude's reasoning capabilities (especially with Opus 4.6)
- No-code automation is more important than enterprise orchestration
- Budget matters — $20/month vs. undisclosed enterprise pricing
Consider Serenities AI if:
- You want to build AI-powered apps and automations without enterprise lock-in
- You want to use any AI model (OpenAI, Claude, or others) with your own subscription
- You need an integrated platform: app builder + automation + database in one place
- Cost efficiency is a top priority — potentially 10-25x cheaper than API-based platforms
The Bigger Picture: Enterprise AI in 2026
What's really happening here goes beyond two products competing.
Gartner predicted that by 2028, 33% of enterprise software will include agentic AI — up from less than 1% in 2024. But right now, while 79% of enterprises report experimenting with AI agents, only 8.6% have agents running in full production.
That gap — between experimentation and deployment — is exactly what both Frontier and Cowork are trying to close. They're just attacking it from opposite ends.
OpenAI is going top-down: land the Fortune 500, deploy with white-glove support, build the platform moat.
Anthropic is going bottom-up: give every paid user access, let the product spread organically, add enterprise features as you grow.
Both strategies work. The question is which one works for you.
If you're building AI-powered workflows and want more control over your stack — choosing which models to use, avoiding API rate markups, and having everything in one platform — check out what we've been covering on AI coding tools and how integrated platforms are changing the economics of enterprise AI.
What's Coming Next
Both platforms are moving fast:
- Frontier plans a broader rollout "in the coming months." Expect pricing tiers and self-serve options as OpenAI tries to move downmarket.
- Cowork is adding org-wide plugin sharing and a private marketplace. With Claude Opus 4.6 just dropping, Cowork's capabilities are about to jump significantly.
- The competition is heating up. Salesforce Agentforce, LangChain, CrewAI, and Google are all racing to own this space.
The AI agent platform war is just getting started. And the winners won't be determined by who has the best press release — they'll be determined by who delivers the most value at the lowest cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenAI Frontier available to small businesses?
Not yet. As of February 2026, Frontier is only available to a limited number of enterprise customers. OpenAI has announced plans for a broader rollout but hasn't shared a timeline or pricing for smaller teams.
Can I use Claude Cowork for free?
No. Cowork is available as a research preview to all paid Claude users. The cheapest option is Claude Pro at $20/month. However, unlike Frontier, there's no waitlist or enterprise contract required.
Do OpenAI Frontier and Claude Cowork work with each other?
Interestingly, yes — partially. Frontier supports agents from multiple vendors including Anthropic. So theoretically, you could manage Claude-based agents within Frontier. However, Cowork itself is a standalone experience within the Claude interface.
Which platform is better for AI coding workflows?
Neither is specifically designed for coding. For AI coding agents, tools like Claude Code and OpenAI Codex CLI are better fits. Check out our Claude Code vs Codex CLI comparison for a detailed breakdown.
How does Serenities AI compare to these platforms?
Serenities AI takes a different approach entirely. Instead of locking you into one vendor's ecosystem, it lets you connect your own AI subscriptions and build apps, automations, and databases on a unified platform. This can be 10-25x cheaper than API-based platforms because you're paying subscription rates rather than per-token costs.