Plan Comparison Matrix
| Feature | Free | Pro ($20/mo) | Max ($100-200/mo) | Team Std ($25/seat) | Team Prem ($100-150/seat) | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowork access | Limited | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
| Computer Use | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Dispatch | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Conversation memory | No | No | Yes | No | No | Varies |
| SSO | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | SAML SSO |
| No-training default | No | Manual opt-out | Manual opt-out | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tenant restrictions | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Audit logs (Cowork) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Admin toggle (org-wide) | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Key takeaway: Cowork audit logging does not exist on any tier. Computer Use and Dispatch are individual plan features (Pro/Max), not team features.
Security Model — The Five Boundaries
- VM Sandbox — Cowork runs in an isolated local environment; file processing stays on your device
- Folder Scoping — Claude sees only the explicitly shared directory and its subfolders
- Deletion Protection — File removal requires explicit "Allow" click (edits and overwrites do not)
- Per-App Permissions — Computer Use requires approval for each individual application
- Network Egress — Configurable allowlist, but web search bypasses it
The audit gap (know this cold):
- Cowork excluded from Audit Logs on all tiers
- Cowork excluded from Compliance API on all tiers
- Cowork excluded from Data Exports on all tiers
- History stored locally on each user's machine — no central access
- Cannot satisfy HIPAA, SOX, PCI-DSS, or SOC 2
Compliance Decision Table
| If the workload involves... | Can you use Cowork? | Why / Why not |
|---|---|---|
| General document summarisation | Yes | Low-risk, no regulatory requirement for audit trail |
| Internal report generation | Yes | Keep in dedicated workspace folder |
| HIPAA-regulated patient data | No | Audit gap makes logging requirements impossible |
| SOX financial reporting | No | Cannot produce chain-of-custody documentation |
| PCI-DSS payment card data | No | No compliant audit trail available |
| Client-facing financial analysis | Caution | No audit trail; review output manually before sharing |
| Competitive intelligence gathering | Yes | Monitor output quality; web search bypasses egress |
Compensating controls: OpenTelemetry for partial observability, defensive global instructions, dedicated workspace folders, manual output review.
Team Onboarding Checklist
Phase 1 — Pre-enablement:
- Write Acceptable Use Policy (approved use cases, prohibited data, incident reporting)
- Define dedicated workspace folder structure (/cowork-workspace)
- Complete mandatory training (prompt injection, folder hygiene, plan review)
- Select pilot group for controlled rollout
- Check default settings for your plan tier (Chrome on by default for Team; off for Enterprise)
- Honestly disclose the audit gap to leadership
Phase 2 — Rollout day:
- Enable the admin toggle (remember: all-or-nothing, org-wide)
- Confirm access for pilot group
- Run a supervised first task with the pilot group
- Verify folder scoping works as expected
Phase 3 — Ongoing operations:
- Monitor usage patterns and review scheduled task outputs
- Update Acceptable Use Policy based on real-world findings
- Run periodic security refreshers
- Audit which connectors are installed across the team
ROI Framework
Measuring value:
- Time a recurring task manually (baseline measurement, not estimate)
- Automate it with Cowork (time the full process including review)
- Calculate: (Time saved/week) x (Hourly rate) x (52 weeks) = Annual value per task
- Compare against: Annual plan cost (e.g., Pro at ~$240/month = ~$2,880/year)
Published benchmarks:
| Organisation | Result |
|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk | Regulatory process: 10+ weeks → 10 minutes |
| Cox Automotive | Doubled lead follow-ups |
| IBM | 45% increase in developer productivity |
| Deloitte | Deployed to 15,000 practitioners |
Business case rules:
- Use your own measured data, not just industry benchmarks
- Disclose the audit gap honestly — burying it destroys credibility when discovered
- Factor in total cost of ownership (seat fee + projected token consumption)
- Include governance value when comparing Pro ($20) vs Team ($25) — the $5 premium buys centralised no-training defaults
Common Exam Traps — Domain 6
| Trap | Correct Answer |
|---|---|
| "Enterprise audit logs cover Cowork" | Cowork excluded from audit logs on all tiers |
| "Compliance API captures Cowork sessions" | Explicitly excluded — no configuration enables it |
| "Team plan admins can enable Cowork per department" | Admin toggle is all-or-nothing, org-wide |
| "Tenant restrictions work on Team plans" | Enterprise-only feature |
| "ZDR policy applies to Cowork conversations" | ZDR governs Anthropic server data; Cowork stores locally |
| "Pro is cheaper than Team so it is better for organisations" | Team's centralised no-training default justifies the premium |
| "The VM sandbox prevents all data exfiltration" | cURL, MCP calls, and Chrome can send data externally |
| "Cowork is HIPAA-ready on Enterprise" | No plan can provide the required audit trail |
| "Corporate proxy blocks all Cowork web traffic" | Web search bypasses network egress restrictions |