OpenWork vs Manus, and the open-source system a team owns instead

01What OpenWork is

OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop app where AI agents work on your own files on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The agent runs on the machine in front of you, your files stay local, and the cloud is optional. It is built on OpenCode, so it takes any model OpenCode supports: more than 50 providers through your own keys, or local models. A team adds OpenWork Den, the control plane that provisions inference and manages access, and that control plane is a separate layer from the open-source app and core (openworklabs.com).

02What Manus is

Manus is a hosted general-purpose AI agent from Manus AI. Its documentation describes it as "an autonomous general AI agent designed to complete tasks and deliver results", one that acts like "a virtual colleague with its own computer", plans a task, and works through it to finished output such as slides, a website, or a research report. Manus runs in its own cloud and ships as a web app with desktop and mobile apps and a browser operator. Access is credit-based, with Free, Pro, and Team plans (manus.im, manus.im/docs).

03Can you self-host Manus or OpenWork?

Manus is a hosted service, and the agent runs in Manus's own cloud with no self-hosted version. OpenWork runs its desktop app locally, and a team can self-host the control plane. Kortix self-hosts the whole platform for free, on a laptop, a VPS, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and the self-hosting guide shows the install.

04Where OpenWork and Manus differ from Kortix

OpenWork runs the agent on the machine in front of you and keeps its configuration inside a desktop app. Manus runs the agent in its own cloud and hands back a finished result. 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 isolated sandbox and branch. The model is yours: any model provider with your own keys. Connectors reach 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP. Work still lands through review: session work reaches main through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. Kortix is the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work.

05Which one fits your team

OpenWork fits one person or a small team that wants an agent on local files without a server. Manus fits a person who wants a hosted agent to research, build, and deliver without running any infrastructure. Kortix fits a company that needs one owned repo for its agents, skills, memory, and connectors, with each session on its own sandbox and every change reviewed before it lands. The OpenWork vs Kortix comparison and the OpenWork alternatives by job take the decision further.