Is Claude AI the Next Big Thing After ChatGPT?

Since ChatGPT made its grand entrance into the world in 2022, the AI space has exploded with new tools that promise smarter, more helpful, or just plain different experiences. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains the blueprint for many, rivals like Google Gemini, Poe, and Anthropic’s Claude AI have entered the scene with their own unique features.

As someone who’s moved from newsroom writing to beauty columns and lifestyle reporting, I lean on AI a lot to brainstorm headline ideas, create survey templates and questions, or plan article templates from scratch. I’ve tested several of these models, and Claude AI stood out enough for me to write this honest and relatable review.

What is Claude AI?

Claude AI is an AI chatbot developed by Anthropic, a safety-first AI company founded by ex-OpenAI employees. Named after Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, it was designed to be a highly conversational, “harmless and honest” AI assistant. Claude first launched in March 2023 and has gone through several upgrades since, with its most recent models, Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, rolling out in May 2025.

Where is Claude Available?

Claude is accessible via claude.ai on the web, iOS, and Android. It’s available in several regions, including Nigeria, though you’ll need a working international debit or credit card to subscribe to the premium plans.

What Can Claude AI Do?

At its core, Claude is a multi-purpose chatbot that you can use to:

• Generate code and write scripts.

• Summarise and analyse text and images.

• Write, edit, and structure long-form content like this one.

• Conduct web research with selected models.

• Assist in creating surveys, outlines, or marketing content.

• Engage in thoughtful, back-and-forth conversation that feels almost human.

It also supports file uploads and image input, which makes it feel like a true assistant, not just a text box.

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Claude AI’s Interface and Writing Style

Signing up is easy. You just need an email or Google account. Once you’re in, you’ll see a clean, distraction-free interface with a chatbox and a “Projects” section where you can organise your conversations and documents. This is great for those of us juggling multiple articles or campaigns at once.

There are four response styles;

• Normal which has a balanced tone.

• Concise which gives short and straightforward replies.

• Explanatory which has a more educational tone.

• Formal, its default response style, which is clear and structured.

I often switch between Explanatory for in-depth beauty articles and Concise when I have a deadline, or for news articles. Compared to other AIs, Claude tends to be more thoughtful but slightly more reserved in word count. Claude might not be able to write a whole article for you, especially for those who use AI for assignments and research-based activities. It’s great for clarity, but not so great if you want flowery language.

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Claude’s Plans (2025 Breakdown)

Claude has several tiers depending on your usage:

Free Plan

• Available via web, iOS, Android.

• It has a chat limit of five requests per minute.

• Features include web access, content creation, file uploads.

• Best for casual users or light research.

Claude Pro – $20/month

• Access to Claude Opus 4, the top-tier model.

• More usage (requests and tokens).

• Unlimited Projects for organising chats.

• Extended thinking for complex tasks.

• Integration with Google Workspace.

• Terminal access via Claude Code.

Team Plan – $25/month (per user)

• For teams (min. 5 users, billed annually).

• Everything in Pro, plus early collaboration tools.

• Higher usage limits.

Claude Max – $124.99/month

• Choose between 5x or 20x more usage than Pro.

• Research mode with citation support.

• Early access to cutting-edge Claude features.

• Recommended for heavy users like dev teams, researchers, or content agencies.

Claude for Enterprise and Education

• Customised pricing and features (e.g., secure integrations, API access, larger context windows).
  

• Payment Note: You’ll need an international debit or credit card to subscribe, which is important for Nigerian users to keep in mind.

New Claude Models: Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 (2025)

On 22nd May 2025, Anthropic announced their most advanced models yet: Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4.

• Opus 4 is being hailed as the best coding model in the world, with top scores on SWE-bench (72.5%) and Terminal-bench (43.2%). It excels at long, complex tasks and AI agent workflows.
  

• Sonnet 4 is a huge leap from Sonnet 3.7 and has better coding, reasoning, and instruction-following. Sonnet 4 is also accessible to free users.
  

• New Tool Use (Beta): Claude now combines tool use (like web searches) with its reasoning process.
  

• Claude Code (Generally Available): Developers now have access to Claude Code in VS Code, JetBrains, and GitHub for pair programming.
  

• API Upgrades: Developers can execute code, connect external tools (via MCP), use the Files API, and cache prompts for up to an hour.

All plans from Pro upwards give access to both new models and their full capabilities.

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Using Claude in Nigeria: What You Need to Know

If you’re in Nigeria, you can use Claude, but there are a few things to note:

• Payment Method: Claude Pro and Max require an international debit or credit card. You might need a domiciliary account or fintech card (like Payoneer or Grey).
  

• Performance: On mobile and desktop, Claude loads smoothly and responds quickly on stable internet (even with a 4G connection).
  

• Utility for Nigerians: Claude is excellent for local use cases, such as writing CVs, business proposals, generating WhatsApp broadcast templates, translating into Nigerian Pidgin, or even helping JAMB/WAEC students with revision.

My Honest Take: Why I Use Claude

Claude doesn’t try to be flashy. It doesn’t write 3,000-word monologues like ChatGPT can, but what it does, it does well. Its responses feel… thoughtful. It often asks follow-up questions like “What’s your perspective?” or “Do you agree with this analysis,? which, as a writer, makes me reflect rather than just copy-paste.

For example, when I asked Claude to compare the Olay Retinol24 Body Lotion and the Advanced Clinicals Retinol Lotion, it broke down online reviews, ingredients, and use cases with clarity. It didn’t just regurgitate the brand’s marketing; rather it told me:

• Go for Advanced Clinicals if you’re on a budget and want more quantity.

• Go for Olay if you have sensitive skin and prefer clinical backing.

After each Claude response, it reminds you that AI can make mistakes and advises to double-check which is something other AIs rarely do. That kind of transparency builds trust.

Pros and Cons of Claude AI

Pros

• Very conversational and asks questions that could help improve your research. 

• Direct, well-reasoned answers.

• Good at explaining technical and nuanced topics.

• Transparent about limitations.

• Can analyse and summarise large data, up to 75,000 words which saves time and effort. 

Cons

• Limited usage on Free Plan.

• Can get wordy or repeat itself sometimes.

• No image generation.

• Occasionally crashes during extended sessions.

• Can’t understand humour, sarcasm or pop culture terms. 

• Lacks human empathy and might not be able to engage in seemingly heartfelt conversations like Chat GPT has been doing in recent times. 

Absolutely, especially if you’re someone who values quality over quantity in responses. It’s a great AI tool for writers, students, developers, and small teams. It may not replace ChatGPT for everyone, but it complements it beautifully.