Open-source alternatives to OpenWork, by the job each does
OpenWork is a desktop app for AI agents on one machine. To run agents across a team, the alternative to reach for is Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System. Compare Kortix with OpenWork, OpenHands, Open WebUI, LibreChat, and n8n, by the job each does.
Three commands
Build the company like a codebase, then bring it live.
curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bashkortix initkortix shipkortix sessions new --prompt "Summarize this week's commits"kortix cr lskortix chatCompare the OpenWork alternatives
Kortix first, then five open-source tools, by the job each one does.
Open source and self-host
- KortixOur recommendationYesOpen source. Read it, fork it, audit it. Self-host is free.
- PartlyOpen-source app and core; self-host the team control plane.
- YesYes. Self-host locally, in Docker, on VMs, or in your cloud.
- YesYes. Self-host with pip, uv, Docker, or Kubernetes.
- YesYes. Self-host with Docker Compose or deploy to the cloud.
- PartlyFair-code, source-available; self-host or use n8n cloud.
Models
- KortixOur recommendationAny model provider with your own keys.
- 50+ providers, your keys, or local models through Ollama.
- Any LLM; run it with your own model and keys.
- Any OpenAI-compatible API plus local Ollama models.
- Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, plus Anthropic, AWS, Google.
- OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open-source models.
Best for
- KortixOur recommendationRunning agents as company infrastructure from one git repo.
- One person doing real work on one desktop.
- Engineering teams running coding agents and developer automations.
- A self-hosted chat and retrieval surface over your models.
- A shared, multi-model ChatGPT-style chat workspace for a team.
- Fixed-step workflow automation on a visual canvas.
Competitor facts checked October 2026 from each project's own repository and site.
What OpenWork is, and who it suits
OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux where AI agents work on your own files. It runs on OpenCode, reaches more than 50 model providers on your own keys or local models through Ollama, and keeps your files on your machine with the cloud optional. The desktop app and its core are open source; the Den control plane for teams is source-available, free for organizations up to five users and subscription-based beyond that (checked October 2026). OpenWork fits one person doing real work on one desktop, or a small team sharing skills and MCP servers. The OpenWork repository documents the app and the self-host path.
Kortix, the open-source alternative for a whole company
Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. Where a desktop holds one person's work, the repo holds the company. Agents and skills are markdown, memory is files that accumulate as the work is done, and one kortix.yaml declares connectors, triggers, rules, and the machine image every session boots. Each session runs on its own isolated sandbox on its own branch, and work reaches main only through a change request a person reads as a diff. Kortix is open source and free to self-host, or you can run it in your VPC or on your own on-prem network. It is also the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work. Start from the Kortix on GitHub repository.
OpenHands: coding agents and developer automations
OpenHands is a self-hosted developer control center for coding agents and developer automations. It runs the OpenHands agent, or Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Pi, OpenCode, and any ACP-compatible agent, across local, Docker, VM, and cloud backends. Automations connect to Slack, GitHub, and Linear, and run on a schedule or a webhook. It is open source and self-hostable (checked October 2026). OpenHands fits an engineering team that wants one place to run its coding agents. See the OpenHands repository.
Open WebUI: a self-hosted chat and model interface
Open WebUI is a self-hosted chat and retrieval surface over your own models, documents, and tools. It connects any OpenAI-compatible API beside local Ollama models, adds retrieval over your files, roles and groups, and a plugin system, and installs with pip, uv, Docker, or Kubernetes. Its own terms keep the Open WebUI branding in place for deployments of more than 50 users (checked October 2026). Pick it when the job is a private chat and search surface. See the Open WebUI repository.
LibreChat: a multi-model chat app for teams
LibreChat is an open-source, self-hostable chat app: a ChatGPT-style interface with agents, MCP servers, skills, a code interpreter, and multi-user access. It connects Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, OpenAI, Azure, Google, Vertex AI, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and local providers, and deploys with Docker Compose. Pick it when the job is one shared chat workspace across many models. See the LibreChat repository.
n8n: fixed-step workflow automation
n8n is a workflow automation platform: a visual canvas with custom code, 1,500+ integrations, and native AI steps, self-hosted or in n8n's cloud. It is fair-code and source-available, so it is not open source in the same sense as the other tools here (checked October 2026). Pick n8n when the job is a fixed series of steps that runs the same way every time. See the n8n repository.
Which alternative fits which team
Three shapes of team decide it. One person working on their own files wants a desktop app, and that is OpenWork. A company that runs agents as shared infrastructure, with one owned repo, shared memory, per-agent connector scope, and reviewed changes, has a job that spans more than one machine, and Kortix is built for it. A team that only needs a private chat surface over its own models is served by Open WebUI or LibreChat, where Open WebUI is the search-and-retrieval home and LibreChat is the shared multi-model workspace. Where the work is code, OpenHands is the control center, and where the steps are fixed, n8n is the canvas.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free, open-source alternative to OpenWork?
Yes. Kortix is open source and free to self-host, and it runs your agents, skills, memory, and connectors from one git repo you own, with any model provider on your own keys.
Can Kortix replace OpenWork for a team?
For one person working on local files, OpenWork's desktop app is the direct fit. For a team that runs agents as shared infrastructure, with shared memory, per-agent connector scope, and work that lands as a reviewed change, Kortix is built for that job.
Does Kortix run agents on my own machine?
A session runs on its own isolated sandbox. You can self-host the whole platform on your own infrastructure, in your VPC, or on-prem, and you can connect your own computer to Kortix.
How much does Kortix cost to run?
Self-hosting is free. On Kortix Cloud, Free includes 200 credits each month and one project; the team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 pooled credits per seat, as written on the Kortix pricing page.
Run your agent team from one repo you own
Kortix is open source, free to self-host, and runs your first session in the browser.
Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem