Anthropic locked Claude Code to native apps in Jan 2026. Are we still comparing models or just ecosystems

Anthropic's Claude Code desktop app is strictly optimized for Anthropic's models , creating a "walled garden" effect that restricts users to Claude exclusively. The redesigned Claude Code desktop app was released on April 14, 2026 , introducing features like an integrated terminal and file editor that lock developers into the Anthropic ecosystem rather than allowing flexibility to compare or switch between different AI models.

Source: r/ChatGPT | 2026-04-19