ScientifyClaude Code fits better when
- Your main work is developing and maintaining code repositories
- The project needs root installs, Docker and database services
- You want the agent to keep handling CI failures and review comments on PRs
- You already have Claude Pro or Max
Scientify fits better when
- You need GPUs for simulation, structure prediction or model training
- You need GROMACS, LAMMPS, ColabFold and other scientific software ready to use
- Tasks run for days, or pause while you wait for an advisor or collaborator to decide
- You need adversarial review of results and several hypotheses explored at once
A dedicated scientific agent for long-horizon exploration
Scientify's scientific agent organizes search strategies around a research goal, attempts to retrieve full-text PDFs, forms hypotheses, writes code, and runs experiments. It advances the next iteration from intermediate results until the project produces research progress or a result. The core agent is open source with 2k+ Stars on Github. Its paper was selected for ICML 2026.
- Literature research
- Organize search strategies, attempt full-text PDF retrieval, and preserve sources and evidence
- Experiments
- Write code, run commands, analyze data, and produce inspectable figures and results
- Cloud execution
- Keep tasks running after the laptop closes and reopen the same workspace from a phone
- Open evidence
- The core agent is open source with 2k+ Stars on Github, and its paper was selected for ICML 2026
Research lifecycle
Both run in the cloud. They differ in how long the environment lasts, GPU access and what counts as done.
GPUs and compute
Claude Code
Cloud session VMs have 4 vCPU / 16 GB / 30 GB, and the documentation does not list GPU support.
Scientify
The agent rents GPUs per task after you grant permission, billed per second and released when done. It can also reach your own servers over SSH.
Current finding
Choose Scientify for research computing that needs GPUs.
Scientific software and databases
Claude Code
Cloud VMs come with common language toolchains, Docker, PostgreSQL and Redis. Other software goes into a setup script, which is cached only if it finishes in about 5 minutes.
Scientify
Domain software such as GROMACS, LAMMPS, OpenMM, ColabFold with AlphaFold2 weights and Scanpy, plus common scientific databases, are preinstalled and self-tested on GPUs before delivery.
Current finding
Scientific software that takes long to install is already set up in Scientify.
Persistence and long runs
Claude Code
Software installed mid-session does not carry over to other sessions. The VM pauses after a few idle minutes and may be reclaimed; after that only conversation history is restored.
Scientify
Each user has a long-lived cloud computer that keeps installed dependencies, data and intermediate results. It runs while a task executes and pauses with the state kept when idle.
Current finding
Choose Scientify for projects that run for days or wait on human decisions.
Definition of done and review
Claude Code
Claude Code supports general-purpose subagents and is built for coding tasks, where running code and passing tests are the main signals of completion.
Scientify
It applies the AI Scientist paradigm: mandatory adversarial review checks whether a task is really done, parallel subagents explore several hypotheses, and branches share findings.
Current finding
Choose Scientify when a method's effect is unknown and results need verification.
Models and pricing
Claude Code
Claude Code is included in Claude Pro ($20/month) and Max (from $100/month); cloud sessions count toward plan usage. Using it from mainland China requires an overseas account and payment method.
Scientify
Models such as GPT-5.6-sol cost about 30% of standard API pricing, billed by usage, with models and compute on one balance.
Current finding
If you already pay for Claude, keep using Claude Code for daily development. Choose Scientify for usage-based billing with models and GPUs on one balance.
Pricing and usage
These products use subscriptions, seats, credits, workflow quotas, or product bundles. The table records the main public individual tiers and the limits that affect research work.
Scientify
Executable cloud research agent
Free access
New users get a free cloud computer and $5 worth of credits
Main paid plans
Starter $19/month with 60 credits; Researcher $29 with 100 credits; Professional $99 with 350 credits.
Billing model
1 credit equals $1 of usage at provider API list prices.
Usage and limits
Credits expire after one month and do not roll over. Plans are purchased manually and do not auto-renew.
Claude Code
Anthropic coding agent
Free access
Claude Free does not include Claude Code
Main paid plans
Pro $20/month ($17/month billed annually); Max from $100/month
Billing model
Subscription; shares usage limits with other Claude usage
Usage and limits
No separate charge for cloud sessions; counts toward plan usage
Comparison scope
- This page is based on official public documentation. No head-to-head tests were run.
- This page does not compare the models' coding ability.
- The two work together: maintain code locally with Claude Code and hand GPU-heavy, long-running experiments to Scientify.