01 Claude
Which Claude model is which.
You pick the model in the Claude app. Here's how Anthropic describes each one, and which plans get it.
- Opus 5.5Where Anthropic says to start for most work. Built for long documents and long, multi-step jobs. Released 22 September.Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise
- Fable 5.1The most capable model, for the hardest reasoning. Also the slowest. How much you can use depends on your plan.Paid plans
- Sonnet 5Fast and capable. The everyday drafting model.Every plan, including Free
- Haiku 4.5The fastest. Quick, light tasks.Every plan, including Free
Coming next: Anthropic says Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5 will follow in the coming weeks.
02 Claude updates, June to September
What changed in Claude.
As Anthropic's release notes describe them.
- 16 SepCowork and chat are now one Claude. Everything Cowork does is available from any conversation, plus new Claude Docs and Claude Slides.Pro and Max first
- 16 SepArtifacts (documents, slides and designs) are on every plan, and you can edit them on the page.Every plan
- 25 AugMemory now carries across chat and Cowork, and you can edit what it remembers.Every plan
- 7 JulThe Microsoft 365 connector can now draft and send email, manage calendars, and create and update OneDrive files, as well as read.Team, Enterprise (set up by your admin)
- 7 JulCowork on web and mobile, with scheduled tasks.Max first
- 12 JunEdit a highlighted part of a draft in place.Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise
03 Microsoft Copilot
Free Chat or the paid licence.
Copilot Chat
Included with eligible Microsoft 365 licences. Works from the web and the files you give it. In Outlook it can also work across your email, calendar and meetings.
Microsoft Copilot licence
The paid licence. Works across all your Microsoft 365 data, adds the advanced agents, and full Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
- PickerIn Chat you choose Auto, Quick response or Think deeper.Chat
- GPT-5.6Microsoft's preferred model in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Chat and Cowork since July.Licence
- ClaudeClaude models now sit inside Copilot too: pick Claude or GPT in Researcher, and choose Anthropic models when editing in Word. Claude Opus 5.5 arrived on 22 September.Licence, turned on by your admin
- CoworkMicrosoft says it takes on long, multi-step jobs and hands back a finished result. Lets you choose the model and how much effort it puts in.Licence, plus Copilot Credits
Heads up: Microsoft has renamed Microsoft 365 Copilot to Microsoft Copilot, and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to Microsoft Copilot Chat.
04 Copilot updates, June to September
What changed in Copilot.
As Microsoft's release notes describe them.
- SepOutlook: Copilot can delete, move, copy and categorise email and manage rules and folders, and it asks you to confirm first.Licence
- SepChat: find meetings by topic or keyword across the past two months.Licence
- SepPlanner Agent: chat is now built in.Licence
- AugOutlook: book meetings from chat in classic Outlook, including finding times, booking rooms and drafting the agenda.Licence
- AugOutlook: coaching on your email drafts, right in chat.Licence
- AugPowerPoint: build a deck straight from an email.Licence
- AugPlanner Agent now works in basic Planner plans.Licence
- JulWord: Copilot can now handle tables of contents, headers, footers, page numbers and footnotes.Licence
- JulChat: the Word, Excel and PowerPoint agents can be @mentioned to create files without leaving the conversation.Licence
- JunCopilot Cowork is generally available worldwide. It's off by default until your admin turns it on.Licence, plus Copilot Credits
05 Which one for which job
In EA, admin and project support terms.
The same models, matched to the kind of work that lands on a support desk. This is how I'd sort them, not a rule.
Claude
- Haiku 4.5Quick, small jobs. Rewording a sentence or tidying a short reply.Fastest
- Sonnet 5The everyday drafts. Emails, agendas, meeting notes turned into actions, a first go at a document.Everyday
- Opus 5.5The bigger pieces. A long report turned into a briefing, or an event plan with lots of steps.Long and multi-step
- Fable 5.1The genuinely hard thinking. A problem with a lot of moving parts where the reasoning matters more than the speed.Hardest, slowest
Microsoft Copilot
- Quick responseFast answers and rewording. A reply that needs softening, a quick check of wording.Chat
- Think deeperPlanning and weighing up options. Working through a schedule clash or the pros and cons before something goes to your exec.Chat
- ResearcherPulling information together across your work files, email and meetings, with the choice of Claude or GPT behind it.Licence
- CoworkLong, multi-step jobs I hand over and come back to. I've used it for researching across several places and filling in a Word document with references.Licence, plus Copilot Credits
What you see depends on your plan, your licence and when it reaches you.