Base vs Claude Projects
Claude Projects give Claude a set of files and instructions to work from, and on Team and Enterprise plans you can share a project with people in your organization. Base is for sharing beyond it: anyone you send a link to can open a Base in a browser or connect it to Claude, ChatGPT or another AI, with a quote from the source behind every fact. Many people use both, because Base is also a connector in Claude's directory.
Updated October 7, 2026
At a glance
| Base | Claude Projects | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Sharing documents with people and their AI | Working with Claude on your own files and instructions |
| Who you can share with | Anyone: by link, by named invitation, or by selling access | Members of your own Team or Enterprise organization |
| Plans that can share | Every plan, including Free | Team and Enterprise |
| What sharing grants | Read access, with comments and document contributions as switches you turn on | Can view (use the project and chat in it) or Can edit (change its knowledge and instructions) |
| Works in other AI apps | Yes: Claude, ChatGPT and any app that takes an MCP connector | No, a project lives in Claude |
| Large sets of documents | Every document is split into bounded passages and indexed, so nothing sits past a cut-off | Paid plans switch a project to retrieval automatically as its knowledge nears the context limit |
| Price | Free for 2 Bases with 500 credits; Pro is $29 a month | Projects on every plan; Free accounts can create up to five |
When Claude Projects are the better choice
- Your whole team is on a Claude Team or Enterprise plan and the material stays inside it.
- You want Claude to work in a particular way, with custom instructions, while you draft and iterate.
- The work is the conversation itself rather than a package someone else will read.
When Base is the better choice
- The reader is outside your organization: a client, an investor, a candidate or a partner.
- The reader uses ChatGPT, Grok or another assistant, or only a browser.
- You need to revoke access, set an expiry date, or turn downloads off.
- Facts have to be checkable. Every fact in a Base carries a verbatim quote and its source file, and when two documents disagree Base shows both.
Using both
Base is listed in Claude's connector directory. Connect it once and Claude can search every Base you own or were sent, from any chat or project, and read the source behind each answer. Setup is on the connect page.
Questions
Can I share a Claude project with someone outside my organization?
Not as a project. Anthropic's help center limits project sharing to members of your Team or Enterprise organization. To give an outside reader the same documents, put them in a Base and send the link.
Does Base work inside Claude?
Yes. Base is in Claude's connector directory. Once connected, Claude can find your Bases, answer from them with citations, and open a Base someone sent you.
Can the reader edit a Base?
Not by default. A Base is read-only for recipients. You can let signed-in readers comment or add documents and new versions, and only the owner can delete.
Sources checked on October 7, 2026
Try it with your own documents
Free for your first Bases, no card. Every new account starts with a Base that explains Base, so there is a cited answer to inspect right away.