OpenWork review: a free open-source desktop app, and where it stops for a team
OpenWork is a capable free, open-source desktop app for one person's files and any model, and it is easy to like. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System a team chooses when the whole stack must be owned, not one laptop at a time.
Kortix, OpenWork, and Claude Cowork side by side
What each one is, where the work runs, and what a team owns.
Open source
- KortixOur recommendationYesOpen source. Read it, fork it, audit it.
- PartlyDesktop app yes; org control plane paid past 5 people.
- NoNo.
What it is
- KortixOur recommendationThe open-source AI Operating System.
- A free desktop app for one person's files.
- A closed work agent on a paid Claude plan.
Where the work runs
- KortixOur recommendationKortix Cloud, your VPC, or your own on-prem network.
- On the desktop; cloud workers optional.
- Anthropic's cloud, or your Bedrock, Google Cloud, Foundry.
Models
- KortixOur recommendationAny model provider with your own keys.
- Any model; your key, ChatGPT sign-in, or local.
- Anthropic models only.
Where configuration lives
- KortixOur recommendationFiles in a git repo you own.
- Local app data and workspace files.
- In the vendor's product.
Team governance
- KortixOur recommendationPer-resource permissions for people and agents. Roles, groups, and an audit trail.
- Through OpenWork Den, a separate control plane.
- Admin access controls and spend limits on Team and Enterprise.
Running many agents
- KortixOur recommendationThousands of agents in parallel, each on its own cloud computer.
- One desktop at a time, per person.
- Managed by the vendor; web and mobile in beta.
Recommended for
- KortixOur recommendationA team that needs one governed system it owns.
- One person or a small team on local files.
- A paid Claude seat for knowledge work.
How one Kortix session works
A project is a git repo with kortix.yaml at its root.A session runs one agent in its own sandbox.The sandbox clones the repo and works on a new branch.The agent commits, pushes the session branch, and opens a change request.A person with the project.gitops.merge permission reviews the change request and merges it.The path from a git repo to a change request a person reviews, from the Kortix docs.
What OpenWork is, and what it does well
OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that runs AI agents on your own files. It is built on OpenCode, and it works with any model, whether you bring your own API key, sign in with a ChatGPT plan, or run a local model through Ollama. The people behind it position it as an open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex, and the desktop app is free with no account needed to use it locally (OpenWork README, checked October 2026).
The parts that hold up are the ones an individual cares about. Your files stay on your machine and the cloud is optional. You can switch models whenever you want. A teammate can package skills and MCP servers into a single link that the rest of the team imports in a click. For one person who wants a local workspace with a real choice of models, that is a solid tool.
What an evaluator should weigh
Two things matter more than the feature list. The first is shape. OpenWork is a desktop application, so it runs on one person's machine. Local files stay local because the app is local, which is a strength for one person and a boundary for a team, because there is no shared server that every person's agent works from.
The second is how the team features arrive. Skills and MCP servers can be shared, and a wider admin interface exists for publishing capabilities and managing access. That control plane, OpenWork Den, is a separate part of the product. Its code is public, but production use needs an OpenWork subscription, free only for organizations of up to five people (OpenWork pricing, checked October 2026). The free app is designed for one person or a small group.
Where a team that wants to own the system lands
Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector live in one git repo you own, and each session runs on its own cloud computer. That is a different shape from a desktop app. The configuration lives as files you can read, diff and roll back, held in your own repository. Sessions run in the cloud, so the work does not depend on whose laptop is open, and the work lands through a change request a person reviews. For a side-by-side look, see OpenWork alternatives.
Kortix compares directly with the closed platforms too. Claude Cowork runs on desktop, web and mobile with paid Claude plans, uses Anthropic models only, and runs on Anthropic's cloud or your own Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry account (Claude Cowork, checked October 2026). It is a capable assistant and you do not own the system. Kortix is the open-source alternative to both Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work, and you can run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network.
OpenWork questions a buyer asks
Quick answers to the things teams check first.
Is OpenWork free?
Yes. The desktop app is free and open source, and you bring your own model provider keys. On OpenWork Cloud, the Team plan includes the first five seats free, then $10 per seat per month (OpenWork pricing, checked October 2026).
Is OpenWork open source?
The desktop app is open source and free to use locally. The organization control plane, OpenWork Den, publishes its code publicly, but production use needs an OpenWork subscription past five people.
Does OpenWork send my files to the cloud?
No. In desktop mode your files stay on your machine, and prompts go straight to the model provider you choose. Hosted cloud workers are optional.
When does a team outgrow a desktop app?
When more than one person needs the same governed system: shared configuration, permissions and an audit trail across people and agents. That is where Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, takes over.
Run the whole company from one repo you own.
Start on Kortix Cloud, or self-host it for free.
Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem