To use ChatGPT and Claude side by side on Windows 11, open each in its own window and press Win+Left on one and Win+Right on the other. Edge's split screen does the same inside one browser window. To switch between them in a single window instead, use a multi-provider app with your own API keys or web logins.
Which side-by-side setup fits you?
| Setup | Extra cost | Screen space | Same prompt to both | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Snap two windows | Free | Half the screen each | Paste twice | Big monitors, occasional comparisons |
| 2. Edge split screen | Free | Half a browser window each | Paste twice | Laptops, browser users |
| 3. Both desktop apps with hotkeys | Free | On demand | Paste twice | People who already use both apps |
| 4. One window, model dropdown | App fee and/or API usage | One small window | Switch and resend | Daily use, calls, small screens |
Every setup works with free accounts. You'll hit message caps faster on the free tiers, though, since you're sending every question twice. ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro are each $20 a month (checked October 2026), so paying for both is $40.
Setup 1: Snap ChatGPT and Claude to each half of the screen
- Open ChatGPT (the desktop app or chatgpt.com) and Claude (the desktop app or claude.ai) in separate windows.
- Click the ChatGPT window and press Win + Left. It fills the left half.
- Windows 11 shows Snap Assist thumbnails on the right. Click Claude. If it doesn't, click Claude and press Win + Right.
- Drag the divider between them if one needs more room.
Want three panes (say, your document plus both models)? Press Win + Z or hover over a window's maximize button to pick a three-column Snap layout. On a 1920-pixel-wide laptop screen, three columns are too cramped for code answers. Two is the realistic maximum there.
What goes wrong: Snap doesn't work at all. Check Settings > System > Multitasking and make sure "Snap windows" is on.
Setup 2: Use Edge split screen
If both are tabs anyway, Edge can show two pages in one window. Open chatgpt.com, click the split screen button in the toolbar (if it's hidden, turn it on under Settings > Appearance > Customize toolbar), and open claude.ai in the second pane. You get one window to move around and one taskbar entry, which helps on a laptop where you'd rather keep your editor full screen and flip to the browser.
The downside is that the two halves share one window. You can't pin just the comparison on top of your work, and you can't put the panes on different monitors.
Setup 3: Run both desktop apps with their own hotkeys
If you'd rather not lose half your screen permanently, keep both desktop apps running and call each up with a shortcut. The ChatGPT Classic app opens its companion window with Alt + Space, and Claude desktop's quick entry defaults to Ctrl + Alt + Space on Windows.
Watch the shortcut traffic. Alt+Space is also wanted by PowerToys Run, Microsoft Copilot and the Gemini app, and Ctrl+Alt+Space is AuraCloak's show/hide key. Windows gives a global hotkey to whichever app registers it first, so the loser just stops responding. Set each one on purpose:
- ChatGPT Classic: Settings > App > Companion window hotkey.
- Claude desktop: Settings > System > Quick Entry keyboard shortcut.
Install details for each are in our ChatGPT app guide and Claude app guide.
ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini in one always-on-top window, with your own keys or logins: try AuraCloak.
Get AuraCloakSetup 4: One window that switches between ChatGPT and Claude
Side by side sounds great until you've done it for a week. Most of the time you don't need both answers on screen at once. You need to ask the second model when the first one sounds unsure. A single window with a model switch handles that with far less clutter.
Options on Windows:
- AuraCloak (our app). A title bar dropdown switches between OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Azure OpenAI and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Use your own API keys (BYOK), or pick Browser and load chatgpt.com or claude.ai with your existing login (browser mode). The window stays on top and is excluded from Windows screen capture, so it doesn't appear in Zoom or Teams shares. $9 a month or $49 once (pricing).
- GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code. If you already pay for Copilot, its model picker includes both OpenAI and Anthropic models. It lives inside your editor, so it's best for code questions.
- OpenRouter or similar API routers. One API key reaches many models, and any OpenAI-compatible client can use it, AuraCloak's custom endpoint included.
Is it cheaper to use the API than two subscriptions?
For most people who mainly chat, yes. Two subscriptions cost $40 a month whether you send 10 messages or 10,000. With API keys you pay per token, and a typical chat question with a few paragraphs of answer costs a fraction of a cent on smaller models and a few cents at most on the largest ones. You'd need to send a lot of long prompts to the top models every day to reach $40.
The API isn't a straight swap, though. You lose the apps' extras: ChatGPT's image generation and Work agent, Claude's projects, Cowork and desktop extensions. And browser-mode access through an overlay uses your subscription, so if you already pay for one plan, keep it and add the other model by API. Check current per-token prices on OpenAI's and Anthropic's pricing pages before you decide, since they change several times a year.
What does each one do that the other doesn't?
Model quality changes with every release, so we won't crown a winner. The apps around the models differ in more stable ways, and that's usually what decides which one you open first:
| Feature (October 2026) | ChatGPT | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| Image generation in chat | Yes | No |
| Agent that works on your PC | Work and Codex in the new desktop app | Cowork and Claude Code in the desktop app |
| Connect local files and tools | Codex works in project folders | Desktop extensions (MCP) |
| Windows quick window | Classic: Alt+Space companion window | Quick entry, Ctrl+Alt+Space |
| Windows on ARM build | Yes | Yes |
| Entry paid plan | Plus, $20/month | Pro, $20/month |
A practical split many people settle on: one model as the daily driver for drafting, the other as the reviewer you call in when an answer matters. Which is which is personal, and it's worth swapping them for a week to see.
What's the best way to compare their answers?
A few habits make two-model checks quick instead of tedious:
- Send the identical prompt. Paraphrasing for the second model makes the comparison meaningless.
- Ask for a short answer first. "One paragraph, then stop" makes disagreements jump out. Expand only where they differ.
- Make them review each other. Paste ChatGPT's answer into Claude with "What's wrong or missing here?" and do the reverse. A second model often catches what the first one glossed over.
- Trust neither on facts you can't check. Two models agreeing on a made-up citation still gives you a made-up citation. Look up names, numbers and links yourself.
Voice helps when your hands are on the keyboard in another app. In AuraCloak, Alt + V starts voice input and sends when you stop speaking, so you can ask the second model without retyping.
FAQ
Can I use ChatGPT and Claude at the same time?
Yes. Open each in its own window or browser tab and snap them to opposite halves of the screen with Win+Left and Win+Right. Both work on free accounts, with usage limits.
Is there one app that has both ChatGPT and Claude?
Neither OpenAI's nor Anthropic's app includes the other's models. Multi-provider apps such as AuraCloak switch between OpenAI and Claude in one window using your API keys or existing web logins. GitHub Copilot Chat offers both model families for code.
How do I split my screen in Windows 11?
Click a window and press Win+Left or Win+Right to fill that half, then pick a second window from Snap Assist. Press Win+Z for more layouts, including three columns.
Can I put ChatGPT and Claude on different monitors?
Yes, if each runs in its own window. Drag one to the second screen or press Win+Shift+Left or Right to move it. Edge split screen keeps both panes in one window, so it can't span two monitors.
Is it worth paying for both ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro?
Only if you use both apps' extra features every day. Otherwise, keep one subscription and reach the other model through its API, which is pay-per-use and usually costs less than $20 a month for chat.