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Love it or hate it, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come a long way since the emergence of ChatGPT to the general public in 2022. Since then, many people have found a way to incorporate it into their careers, including writers.
With so many options, it begs the question: how do they stack up against Sudowrite when it comes to writing fiction?
Anthropic is one of the major players in the AI world. It released its first Claude model in 2023. Sudowrite launched in 2021.
Let's dig deeper into these tools to see which is better for authors.
They're AI, But Not the Same
Described by Anthropic as "a next-generation AI assistant," Claude is a family of large language models (LLMs) designed to help with research, coding, writing, and other tasks.
Sudowrite is an AI writing tool loaded with features designed to simplify short- and long-form writing. In addition to having its own LLM, Muse, specifically designed for fiction writers, Sudowrite has many other LLMs available within the platform as well.
Where Claude is a chatbot, Sudowrite is not, but it has chatbot capabilities—more on that in a minute.
Digging Into the Features
Comparing features is one of the best ways to determine which of the tools is better for your needs.
Prose Models
Claude has its own series of LLMs, which include Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus. It continues to develop and release newer models of each.
Sudowrite has multiple LLMs available for its members to use and consistently adds new models as they're released. Currently, it has Anthropic (Claude LLMs), OpenAI (ChatGPT), Gemini, StarCannon, DeepSeek, Mistral, Goliath, and Airoboros. It also has Muse, its proprietary LLM, which, unlike other AI models on the market, is specifically tailored for fiction writers.
Both have the ability to help you customize your style (make the LLMs write in your voice), but Sudowrite's tools and background work make it easier to really nail that output.
Fiction-Writing Tools
Claude does not have any fiction-writing tools built into it. However, you can use it to aid in fiction writing through prompts. Many people find that Claude models perform very well in terms of natural language over other AI models.
Sudowrite is loaded with fiction-writing tools and continues to add more (seriously, every time I turn around, they're adding a new feature), based on member input and suggestions. Store your information in the story bible, create special cards for characters, worldbuilding, plot your story details with the outline tool, and use scenes to set up your chapter prose, for just a few examples. Then, of course, there's Muse, which is designed with fiction writing in mind.
Content Restrictions
If you're looking to write spicy content (i.e. sex scenes) or other adult content (gore, violence, dark romance elements), you're going to find yourself restricted with Claude models. Most of the time, it will outright refuse to generate this type of content.
Sudowrite, on the other hand, has workarounds that allow for fewer restrictions, which makes it much easier to generate adult content. There are still contingencies in place, however, for minors and exploitation.
Overall, Sudowrite is more robust for authors in terms of what it offers.
Customization and Control
You can customize Claude to a certain extent, including by creating chatbots to assist you in various tasks. You can also control it via prompts.
One area Sudowrite excels at is the company listening to its vast user base. Members can submit feature requests, which, when possible, become available for everyone's use. Plus, the developers are constantly working on upgrades and updating existing features, inviting members to join Alpha and Beta tests to gain valuable input.
Ease of Use
In order to be beneficial to users, AI needs to be easy to use. So, if you're wondering how these two stack up against each other, we've got the scoop.
Claude is a chat-style AI, which means most of your interactions will be done with manual prompts. It does have a bit of a learning curve in regards to your training. Creating your own chatbot can help, especially if you create one just for fiction writing, but you will need to create a paid account and use your API for that.
Sudowrite is a whole different beast. It's not a chatbot, for one, though it does have chatbot capabilities. It's specifically designed for authors and has a guided experience that walks you through its use. Plus, if you follow the company on YouTube or join its Discord community, you'll have access to videos for every tool and writing style.
Sudowrite makes it easy to jump right in, though it's recommended that you start with a brand-new project, not an in-progress one, until you learn how to navigate the many features. You'll save credits and frustration.
What Do They Cost?
Affordability is one factor you might be considering when you're looking at the different AI writing tools. Both Claude and Sudowrite have several subscription tiers.
Claude has a free tier for anyone who wants to give it a go. It does limit usage, though, and has restrictions. For example, if you wanted to integrate it into your Google workspace, you'd have to upgrade to the Pro tier, which costs $17 per month. There's also a Max tier, which allows for up to 20 times more usage than Pro and higher output. That will set you back $100 per month.
With Claude, you could also sign up for an API key and pay for your use. The cost will depend on the model, and costs between $0.25 and $15 for 1 million tokens of input and between $1.25 and $75 for 1 million tokens of output. Opus is the most expensive engine.
Sudowrite makes it easy to access most major LLMs on the market today under one umbrella. The company offers three tiers of subscription: Hobby/Student, Professional, and Max, with 225,000, 1 million, and 2 million credits per month, respectively.
The tiers cost $19, $29, and $59 per month, though you can save by paying annually, which reduces the costs to $10, $22, and $44. The Max plan credits roll over, but the lower tiers do not. In addition, you can buy credit packs that never expire. You do need an active subscription to use them, though.
Best Use Cases
Claude's best use cases tend to come in data processing and research, but it can be tailored to fiction with a bit of prompting and the creation of your own chatbot.
Sudowrite is a fiction writer's dream, with tools that make it easy to write as little or as much as your heart desires. It can also be used to write short stories, poems, blogs, and screenplays.
The Final Say
Both Claude and Sudowrite are beneficial tools for authors looking to create prose of all kinds, but they are significantly different in the way they operate.
Where Claude is more of a chatbot you can hold conversations with and prompt to create fiction, Sudowrite is tailored with tools designed to set authors up for success. For that reason, I prefer Sudowrite, though I will be honest and say Claudes are my go-to models, so it's a win-win all around!