OpenWork Alternatives: 5 Desktop AI Agent Apps for Office Work (Nov 2026)
OpenWork is a free, open source Claude Cowork alternative built on OpenCode. We compare 5 alternatives by how they run, licence and price, as of 14 Nov 2026.
Our view: Eigent is the closest OpenWork alternative, because it is also a free, open source Cowork style desktop app where agents work on your own files with the model you choose. OpenWork itself stays a strong pick for teams that want to share skills and MCP servers. Checked 14 Nov 2026.
We make Munder Difflin, which is free and open source: a desktop app that runs a team of AI agents for all kinds of knowledge work, coding included, on your own computer. More lists sit in the Comparisons hub and our pillar, OmniAgent alternatives.
What is OpenWork?
OpenWork is a desktop app where AI agents do work on your own files, built on OpenCode. Its README, read 14 Nov 2026, calls it “the free, open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex”. The home page says “Sovereign AI for knowledge workers” and “Backed by Y Combinator”.
How does OpenWork run?
It runs as a desktop app on your computer, with optional cloud workers. The FAQ on its home page, read 14 Nov 2026, says “In desktop mode your files stay on your machine” and “Hosted cloud workers are optional”. It supports “OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and local models across 50+ providers” on your own keys. Teams share skills, MCP servers and plugins through one link.
How much does OpenWork cost, and what is its licence?
The desktop app is free, and so is the Free plan for up to 5 users. The pricing page, read 14 Nov 2026, lists Free at $0 for “up to 5 users”, Team at $10 “per user / month” with SSO. A cloud computer for each member is $50 a month extra (14 Nov 2026). The README says “Everything outside ee/ is MIT”; the ee/ team control plane is under the source available OpenWork EE License. The repo had 24,513 stars on 14 Nov 2026, and v0.18.67 came out on 13 Nov 2026.
Why look for an OpenWork alternative?
Our view: when you need a feature its own table lists as unfinished, or want to compare first. Its home page, read 14 Nov 2026, marks “Scheduled tasks” as “Alpha” and “Dispatch: assign tasks from your phone” as “Coming soon”. Past 5 users, the README says production use of the ee/ control plane needs a subscription; evaluation is free for 30 days.
What are the best OpenWork alternatives?
Five tools, as of 14 Nov 2026, each updated in the last 30 days. Three call themselves Cowork apps, so that word is working overtime.
| Tool | What it is | How it runs | Open source, licence | Price, 14 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eigent | Cowork desktop with a team of agents | Desktop app; local or cloud | Yes, Apache 2.0 | Free on your own keys; Plus $19.99 a month. |
| Munder Difflin | A team of AI agents for knowledge work | Desktop app; Cloud Office | Yes, MIT | Desktop app free and open source. |
| AionUi | Cowork app over many agent CLIs | Desktop app for macOS, Windows, Linux | Yes, Apache 2.0 | Free; you pay your model provider. |
| Claude Cowork | Anthropic’s agent for office work | Anthropic’s servers, through Claude apps | No; part of Claude | Pro $20 billed monthly (14 Nov 2026). |
| goose | A general purpose agent | Desktop app, CLI and API | Yes, Apache 2.0 | Free; you bring a provider. |
1. Eigent: the closest match
Eigent is a free, open source Cowork desktop app with a team of agents. Its README, read 14 Nov 2026, calls it “The Open Source Cowork Desktop” with a “Multi-Agent Workforce”, and marks local deployment “Recommended”, with “no cloud account required”. It is Apache 2.0, and v1.0.7 came out on 30 Oct 2026. Its pricing page, read 14 Nov 2026, lists “BYOK and local models to use Eigent for free”, and Plus at $19.99 a month. We think it suits people who want several agents on each task.
2. Munder Difflin: a team of agents for all kinds of work
Munder Difflin runs a team of AI agents on your computer, or in the Cloud Office. Its README, read 14 Nov 2026, says “Agents that message, route, and remember, coordinated by your clone (Michael)”. Agents take work from Slack or webhooks and use MCP servers, skills and plugins. The Cloud Office runs your agents in the cloud, always on, so work goes on with your computer off. A mobile app is coming soon. We think it suits research, writing, ops and code in one team. Setup: how to install and use Munder Difflin.
3. AionUi: one app over many agent CLIs
AionUi is a free, open source Cowork app over your agent CLIs. Its README, read 14 Nov 2026, calls it “a Cowork platform where AI agents work alongside you on your computer”, and the repo names “Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and 20+ more CLI Agent”. It is Apache 2.0, and “You only pay for the API usage of whichever provider you choose”. v2.2.2 is from 9 Sep 2026, and the last commit landed on 5 Nov 2026. We think it suits people who already run several CLIs. See AionUi alternatives.
4. Claude Cowork: the rival OpenWork names
Claude Cowork is Anthropic’s agent for office work. Its help page, read 14 Nov 2026, says “Claude’s work runs on Anthropic’s servers, in an isolated environment”, and Cowork is on paid plans only. Claude’s pricing page listed Pro at $20 if billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly, on 14 Nov 2026. We think it suits people who want one vendor and no setup. See Claude Cowork alternatives.
5. goose: one agent on your own machine
goose is a free, open source agent with a desktop app, CLI and API. Its README, read 14 Nov 2026, calls it “a general-purpose AI agent that runs on your machine” for “research, writing, automation, data analysis”. It also takes “your existing Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini subscriptions via ACP”. It is Apache 2.0, and v1.59.1 came out on 14 Nov 2026. We think it suits one person who wants one agent and any model.
Rowboat, which puts “Your agent team, in one group chat”, has its own list.
How to choose
Pick by how many agents you want and where they run. Our view:
- Eigent for OpenWork’s model with a team of agents, run locally.
- Munder Difflin for a team of AI agents for all kinds of knowledge work, on your computer or in the Cloud Office.
- AionUi for one app over the agent CLIs you run.
- Claude Cowork if you pay for Claude and want Anthropic to run it.
- goose for one agent with the model you choose.
- OpenWork itself for shared skills and MCP servers, free for up to 5 users.
FAQ
What is OpenWork?
OpenWork is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux where AI agents work on your own files, built on OpenCode. Its README, read 14 Nov 2026, calls it "the free, open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex". Its home page says it is backed by Y Combinator.
How much does OpenWork cost?
The desktop app is free. On 14 Nov 2026 its pricing page listed Free at $0 for up to 5 users, Team at $10 per user a month, and Enterprise at custom pricing. A cloud computer for each member costs $50 a month on top.
Is OpenWork open source?
Yes for the desktop app. Its README, read 14 Nov 2026, says everything outside the ee folder is MIT. The ee folder, the team control plane, is under the source available OpenWork EE License, which is free for organizations with up to 5 users.
Which models does OpenWork support?
Its home page, read 14 Nov 2026, says "Any model OpenCode supports" from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and local models, across 50+ providers, on your own API keys. The cloud plans also offer a managed provider.
What is the closest OpenWork alternative?
Our view: Eigent, a free, Apache 2.0 Cowork desktop app where a team of agents works on your tasks, locally if you like, with the model you choose. Munder Difflin is the pick for a team of AI agents for all kinds of knowledge work, on your computer or in the Cloud Office.